S .  F.  n.  Men,  r«jl .  M!  J  JJW.<V,i     .l 


PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS 


BY  REV.  WILLIAM  KEVINS,  D.  D. 

LATE    PASTOR    OF    A    CHURCH    IN    BALTIMORE 


PUBLISHED  BY  THE 
AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY, 

ISO   NASSAU-STREET,   NEW    TORE. 


Entered  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1S36, 
L.  NEVINS,  in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  Southern 
District  of  the  State  of  New  York. 


Right  of  publishing  transferred  to  the  American  Tract  Society 


The  following  pages  consist  of  miscellaneous  articles 
published  by  the  lamented  author  within  the  year  1834, 
and  the  months  of  January  and  February,  1835,  chiefly 
in  the  New  York  Observer,  with  the  signature  "  M.  S.," 
the  finals  of  his  name.  They  were  written  after  the  in- 
sidious disease  by  which  God  was  pleased  to  transplant 
him  to  a  higher  sphere  of  labor  had  so  affected  his  voice 
as  in  a  great  degree  to  disable  him  from  his  stated  pub- 
lic ministrations.  This  discipline  was  evidently  blessed 
in  his  rapid  sanctification*  his  obtaining  uncommonly 
clear  views  of  truth  and  duty,  and  his  ardent  desire  to 
do  something  to  rouse  Christians  to  greater  attainments 
in  personal  holiness,  and  through  their  efforts  and  prayers 
to  bless  the  world.  His  mind  acted  with  unwonted 
vigor;  he  panted  to  speak  to  multitudes  for  God  and 
eternity,  and  adopted  the  only  means  then  remaining  to 
him — his  pen.  When  about  two-thirds  of  the  articles 
were  written,  he  was  called  suddenly  to  part  with  his 
beloved  wife :  and  the  hallowed  influence  of  the  afflic- 
tion is  most  apparent  in  the  subsequent  articles,  the  last 
of  which,  "  HEAVEN'S  ATTRACTIONS,"  with  the  additional 
fragment,  seemed  almost  prophetic  of  the  event  which 
was  soon  to  follow. 

It  was  hoped  that  the  substance  of  these  articles  might 
be  embodied  in  a  volume  under  the  author's  own  super- 
vision; but  his  strength  was  inadequate  to  the  task. 
They  are  now  published  in  accordance  with  a  few  gen- 
eral suggestions  made  by  him  a  little  before  his  death, 
and  in  the  form  substantially  in  which  they  at  first  ap- 
peared. 

P.T. 


CONTENTS. 


Wo.  P>ge. 

1 .  Do  you  Pray  in  Secret  ? 7 

2.  Do  you  Pray  in  your  Family? 13 

3.  I  must  Pray  more, 19 

4.  I  must  Pray  differently, 25 

5.  Why  Prayer  is  not  Heard,        31 

6.  I  must  Praise  more, 39 

7.  Do  you  Remember  Christ  ? 44 

8.  I  don't  like  Professions, 50 

9.  Are  you  a  Sabbath-school  Teacher  ? 55 

10.  Do  you  attend  the  Monthly  Concert  ? 63 

11.  Why  all  Christians  should  attend  the  Monthly 

Concert,        67 

12.  Will   any  Christian   be   absent   from   the   next 

Monthly  Concert  ? 72 

13.  How  came  it  to  pass?         75 

14.  Why  the  World  is  not  Converted, 80 

15.  The  Conversion  of  the  Church, 86 

16.  Inquiring  Saints, 91 

17.  Do  you  pay  for  a  Religious  Newspaper  ?    ....  94 

18.  Detached  Thoughts, 97 

19.  The  late  Mr.  Wirt,     . 101 

20.  Travelling  on  the  Sabbath, 106 

21.  Apologies  for  Travelling  on  the  Sabbath,  .     .     .     .113 

22.  I  have  done  Giving, 120 

23.  I  will  Give  Liberally, 124 

24.  The  Calls  are  so  Many, 128 

25.  I  can't  Afford  it, 131 

26.  An  Example  of  Liberality, 136 


6  CONTENTS. 

No.  Pas*. 

27.  Another  Example  of  Liberality, 142 

28.  More  about  Liberality, 147 

29.  A  Tract  Effort, 152 

30.  The  World  should  have  the  Bible, 155 

31.  Mrs.  M.  L.  Nevins, 160 

32.  What  strange  beings  we  are, 164 

33.  What  very  strange  beings  we  are,     .     .     .     .     .     .168 

34.  Should  it  be  according  to  thy  Mind  ? 173 

35.  How  Inconsistent  we  are, 178 

36.  The  Pity  of  the  Lord, 182 

37.  Five  Negatives, 188 

38.  How  to  dispose  of  Care, 190 

39.  Do  you  Enjoy  Religion  ? 195 

40.  LovestthouMe? 201 

41.  The  Light  of  the  World, 206 

42.  The  Salt  of  the  Earth, 212 

43.  The  distance  of  Death, 216 

44.  Why  so  loath  to  Die  ? 222 

45.  Heaven's  Attractions, 228 

46.  The  Heavenly  Recognition,   ........     233 


PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 


1.  DO  YOU  PRAY  IN  SECRET? 

I  KNOW  not  how  it  is  with  the  reader,  but  I  know 
that  many  persons  are  not  in  the  habit  of  secret 
prayer.  They  have  no  closet,  no  place  of  retirement 
to  which  they  daily  resort,  and  where,  when  they 
have  shut  the  door,  they  pray  to  their  Father  which 
is  in  secret,  and  in  solitude  seek  the  society  of  God. 
I  am  acquainted  with  one  who  for  many  years  neg- 
lected this  duty,  which  all  religions  recognize,  and 
which  even  nature  teaches.  Sometimes  he  read  the 
Bible,  and  no  part  of  it  oftener  than  the  sermon  on 
the  mount.  Of  course,  he  must  have  frequently 
read  those  words  of  the  great  Teacher,  in  which,  tak- 
ing it  for  granted  that  his  hearer  prays,  he  tells  him 
what  he  should  do  whqn  he  prays :  "  But  thou,  when 
thou  prayest,  enter  into  thy  closet" — the  person  is 
supposed  to  have  some  place  called  his  closet,  to 
which  he  is  accustomed  to  retire  for  prayer — "and 
when  thou  hast  shut  thy  door,  pray  to  thy  Father 
which  is  in  secret ;  and  thy  Father,  which  seeth  in 
secret,  shall  reward  thee  openly."  He  read  this, 
but  he  gave  no  heed  to  it.  During  all  this  period, 


8  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

he  asked  nothing,  though  he  received  much.  God 
did  not  neglect  him,  though  he  neglected  God ;  and 
as  he  prayed  none,  so  he  praised  none.  Sometimes, 
indeed,  he  said,  "Thank  God;"  but  it  was  said  in 
so  much  thoughtlessness,  that  it  was  set  down  pro- 
faneness  rather  than  praise.  It  is  true,  at  that  time 
he  would  never  allow  that  he  was  ungrateful ;  but 
he  was,  and  now  he  sees  that  he  was.  He  lived 
and  moved  and  had  his  being  in  God,  and  yet  was 
without  God  in  the  world.  Many  and  precious  were 
the  thoughts  of  God  towards  him;  but  in  all  his 
thoughts,  God  was  not.  Not  even  when  he  was  in 
trouble,  did  he  ask,  "Where  is  God  my  maker?" 
I  wonder  the  Lord  had  not  become  weary  of  bestow- 
ing his  bounty  on  such  a  one.  It  is  because  he  is 
the  Lord,  and  changes  not.  But  for  that,  the  per- 
son of  whom  I  speak  would  have  been  consumed 
long  ago.  There  is  nothing  he  admires  more  than 
the  long  suffering  of  God  towards  him,  and  he  hopes 
to  spend  eternity  in  admiring  it,  and  exchanging 
thoughts  with  his  fellow-redeemed  on  this  and  kin- 
dred subjects.  » 

He  supposes  that  he  is  not  the  only  one  who  has 
neglected  secret  prayer.  He  fears  that  this  neg- 
lect is  even  now  the  habit  of  many.  They  are  shy 
of  God.  I  know  not  why  they  should  be.  He  is 
doing  every  thing  to  woo  and  win  them,  and  to 
secure  their  confidence.  So  much  has  he  done,  that 
he  asks — and  I  cannot  answer — what  he  could  have 


DO  YOU  PRAY  IN  SECRET?  9 

done  more.  He  waits  on  his  throne  of  grace  to  be 
gracious  to  them,  but  they  come  not  near  to  him. 
He  even  calls  to  them  to  come  to  him,  using  too  the 
language  of  most  affectionate  address,  "Son,  my 
son;"  but  they  respond  not,  "Abba,  Father."  It  is 
strange  they  should  treat  this  Father  so.  They 
treat  no  other  father  so.  What  child  does  not,  in 
the  morning,  salute  his  father;  and  what  father 
does  not  expect  the  salutation  of  each  child,  as  they 
come  into  his  presence  ?  Oh,  yes,  we  love  our  father 
•who  is  on  earth  ;  and  we  remember  with  gratitude 
the  favors  he  does  us.  And  does  the  Father  of  our 
spirits,  the  giver  of  every  good  gift,  deserve  no  daily 
notice  from  us,  no  affectionate  salutation,  no  grate- 
ful recognition  of  indebtedness  to  him?  I  am  cer- 
tain he  expects  it,  for  he  says,  "  A  son  honoreth  his 
father :  if  then  I  be  a  Father,  where  is  mine  hon- 
or?" He  claims  to  be  a  Father ;  and  0,  how  well 
he  has  established  that  claim.  Truly,  he  is  a  Fa- 
ther, and  "like  as  a  father  pitieth  his  children,  so 
the  Lord  pitieth"  his.  And  to  the  compassion  of 
the  father  he  adds  the  tender  care  and  untiring 
mindfulness  of  the  mother.  "  Can  a  woman,"  he 
asks,  "forget  her  sucking  child?"  She  may,  he 
says,  but  He  will  not.  How  strange  it  is,  that  men 
will  not  go  to  the  closet  to  meet  and  to  pray  to  such 
a  Father. 

Surely,  it  is  not  for  want  of  encouragement.     If 
they  have  it  not  in  his  very  nature,  yet  in  his  invi- 


JO  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

tations,  his  promises,  and  his  past  acts  of  unsolicited 
kindness,  they  have  all  they  could  desire.  Nor  is 
it  that  they  have  no  need  of  God.  Never  one  of 
the  prayerless  will  say  that.  They  all  know  what 
would  become  of  them  but  for  that  overlooking  eye, 
and  that  supplying  hand,  and  that  supporting  arm. 
And  do  they  not  know  that  God  has  a  heart  too — 
that  he  can  love  with  all  the  fervor  of  a  friend  ? 
And  can  they  not  imagine  that  in  the  interchange 
of  affection  between  God  and  the  soul  of  man,  there 
may,  and  indeed  must  be,  ineffable  delight?  And 
who  that  looks  but  a  little  way  forward,  does  not 
perceive  an  exigency  when,  in  the  utter  inadequacy 
of  earthly  and  human  resources  for  comfort,  he  will 
want  "the  consolations  of  God?" 

Ah,  it  is  a  sad  as  well  as  strange  thing,  that  so 
many  enter  no  closet — seek  daily  no  retirement, 
either  in  their  houses  or  elsewhere,  where  they  may 
be  a  little  while  alone  with  God ;  where  they  may 
look  up,  and  meet  the  light  of  his  countenance  as 
he  looks  down  on  them ;  where  they  may  confess 
their  sins,  and  receive  assurance  of  his  pardoning 
love ;  where  they  may  thank  him  for  mercies  past, 
and  humbly  ask  for  more;  where  they  may  take 
counsel  of  him,  tell  him  of  their  griefs,  and  have 
their  tears  wiped  away,  and  with  him  leave  the 
weighty  burden  of  their  cares. 

I  know  not  whether  this  excites  more  my  grief  or 
my  wonder.  I  am  not  so  much  surprised  that  men 


DO  YOU  PRAY  IN  SECRET?  11 

should  neglect  a  manifest  duty ;  but  when  I  think 
what  a  privilege  it  is,  what  a  liappiness,  what  an 
iionor,  to  he  on  terms  of  intimacy,  and  in  habits  of 
intercourse  with  God,  it  amazes  me  that  they  should 
forego  it.  How  will  such  reflect  upon  themselves 
hereafter — how  execrate  their  folly.  How  will  they 
wonder  that  they  could  have  deliberately  done  their 
souls  such  a  wrong.  Then  it  will  be  too  late  to 
redress  the  wrong.  They  sought  not  the  Lord  while 
he  might  be  found,  they  called  not  upon  him  while 
he  was  near.  Yea,  though  he  called,  they  refused. 
Now  they  may  call,  but  he  will  not  answer.  If  any 
one  who  is  living  in  the  neglect  of  secret  prayer 
shall  read  this,  will  he  not  be  persuaded  to  com- 
mence the  practice  the  very  day  he  reads  it,  aye, 
that  same  hour,  if  it  be  possible  ?  If  it  be  not  con- 
venient, let  him  make  it  convenient.  Let  other 
things  give  way  for  this,  rather  than  this  for  any 
thing.  Can  he  think  his  heart  right  in  the  sight  of 
God,  or  his  condition  safe  in  the  prospect  of  eter- 
nity, while  he  neglects  prayer  ?  How  dare  he  live 
without  prayer?  Without  it,  can  he  have  courage 
to  die  ?  At  the  mercy-seat  of  God,  we  may  decline 
to  appear;  but  before  his  judgment-seat  we  MUST 
all  stand.  How  a  frequent  access  to  the  first  would 
prepare  us  for  final  arraignment  at  the  other.  How 
it  would  familiarize  us  with  the  presence  of  God. 
How  it  would  serve  to  break  the  shock  of  the  en- 
trance into  eternity. 


12  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

Does  any  one  who  is  not  in  the  habitual  and  daily 
practice  of  secret  devotion,  pretend  to  be  a  Chris- 
tian? It  is  but  pretence.  He  may  believe  the 
creed  of  the  Christian,  but  certainly  he  does  not 
pursue  the  practice,  nor  possess  the  spirit  of  the 
Christian.  Breathing  is  essential  to  living,  and 
prayer  is  the  Christian's  vital  breath.  Does  he 
walk  with  God  who  never  converses  with  him? 

Some  spiritualize  the  direction  of  Christ,  making 
the  closet  to  mean  the  heart,  and  the  duty  of  private 
devotion  to  be  discharged  in  mere  mental  prayer. 
But  Christ  did  not  so  trifle.  His  closet  was  not  his 
'heart:  he  could  not  have  meant  that  ours  should 
be.  He  selected  the  still  morning,  and  sought  out 
the  solitary  place  for  prayer.  May  we  be  less 
attentive  to  the  circumstances  of  time  and  place? 
Shall  we  talk  about  entering  into  ourselves,  and 
there  thinking  prayer?  Jesus,  even  in  his  most 
retired  intercourse  with  his  Father,  used  his  voice. 
That  prayer,  "Let  this  cup  pass  from  me,"  was 
vocal;  and  that  petition,  "God  be  merciful  to  me  a 
sinner,"  was  expressed  in  words.  Shall  we  reserve 
the  voice  exclusively  for  our  intercourse  with  men, 
and  not  with  it  also  supplicate  and  bless  God? 

Is  any  one  inquiring  after  truth?  What  place 
more  appropriate  for  asking,  "What  is  truth?"  than 
the  closet  ?  Who  so  likely  to  be  taught  of  God  as 
they  who  ask  of  God  ?  Some  men  carry  that  ques- 
tion to  the  Bible,  and  press  it  there,  as  indeed  they 


DO  YOU  PRAY  IN  YOUR  FAMILY?  13 

should ;  but  they  carry  it  not  to  the  throne  of  grace, 
and  press  it  there  also.  They  read  to  know  what 
truth  is,  but  do  not  pray  to  know  it. 

Oh,  how  an  hour  in  the  morning,  spent  with  God, 
prepares  us  pleasantly  and  profitably  to  pass  the 
other  hours  of  the  day  with  men ;  and  at  night, 
what  so  composing  as  communion  with  God?  In 
resigning  ourselves  into  the  arms  of  sleep,  that  im- 
age of  death,  what  security  like  that  of  prayer  ?  It 
engages  Him  who  never  slumbers  nor  sleeps,  to 
watch  over  us. 

Has  any  one  become  remiss  in  secret  devotion? 
"What,  tired  of  God,  weary  of  communion  with  him  ? 
How  sad  the  state  of  such  a  soul. 


9.  DO  YOU  PRAY  IN  YOUR  FAMILY  ? 

There  are  families  that  call  not  on  the  name  of 
the  Lord.  Nor  is  it  a  new  thing.  There  were  such 
so  long  ago  as  when  Jeremiah  lived.  He  takes 
notice  of  them.  He  has  a  prayer  about  them.  It 
seems  he  was  divinely  inspired  to  call  down  the 
indignation  of  the  Lord  upon  such  families.  "  Pour 
out  thy  fury,"  he  says,  "upon  the  families  that  call 
not  on  thy  name."  I  would  not  like  to  have  been 
a  member  of  one  of  those  families;  and  much  less 
the  head  of  one  of  them.  It  must  have  been  very 
offensive  to  the  Lord  that  there  were  families  in 


14  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

which  he  was  not  acknowledged  and  worshipped. 
And  if  there  were  such  families  among  the  heathen 
nations  that  offended  him,  how  much  more  must  it 
have  displeased  him  that  there  should  he  such  fam- 
ilies even  among  his  people  Israel — families  that  did 
not  in  the  family  capacity  invoke  him.  I  do  not 
know  why  it  should  be  less  offensive  now.  I  do  not 
believe  it  is.  Families  are  now  under  as  great 
obligations  to  God  as  ever  they  were. 

Some  persons  ask  why  we  insist  on  family  prayei 
as  a  duty.  They  say  we  cannot  produce  any  pre- 
cept enjoining  it.  That  is  true  enough.  But  I 
wonder  if  that  is  not  a  duty,  the  omission  of  which 
is  the  subject  of  prophetic  denunciation.  I  wonder 
if  that  is  not  by  implication  commanded,  the  neg- 
lect of  which  brings  down  the  wrath  of  God  on 
those  guilty  of  the  neglect.  There  are  some  things 
so  manifestly  reasonable,  and  of  such  self-evident 
obligation,  that  they  need  no  law  expressly  enjoin- 
ing them.  It  is  not  necessary  that  they  should  be 
taught  in  so  many  words. 

But  if  we  have  no  express  precept  on  the  subject, 
we  have  pretty  good  examples  in  favor  of  it.  I  sus- 
pect Abraham,  who  was  so  careful  to  instruct  his 
household  in  the  way  of  the  Lord,  did  not  neglect 
to  pray  with  them.  And  David,  I  am  quite  confi- 
dent, prayed  in  his  family.  It  is  said  of  him  on 
one  occasion,  that  "he  returned  to  bless  his  house- 
hold." No  doubt  there  were  both  prayer  and  praise 


DO  YOU  PRAY  IN  YOUR  FAMILY?      15 

in  that  family.  Certainly  Joshua  must  have  prayed 
in  his  house.  How  otherwise  could  he  have  ful- 
filled his  resolution  that  his  house  as  well  as  him- 
self should  serve  the  Lord  ?  What,  resolve  that  his 
house  should  serve  the  Lord,  and  not  join  with  them 
in  supplication  for  the  grace  to  serve  him  ?  That  is 
not  at  all  likely. 

Now,  I  would  ask  if  it  is  not  proper  and  right 
that  every  head  of  a  family  should  adopt  the  reso- 
lution of  him  who  said,  "As  for  me  and  my  house, 
we  will  serve  the  Lord?"  But  can  there  be  relig- 
ion in  a  house  without  prayer  ?  Is  there  not  incon- 
sistency in  saying,  "I  and  my  family  will  serve 
God,  but  we  will  have  no  family  altar  nor  offer- 
ing ?"  Is  not  prayer  an  essential  part  of  the  service 
of  God  ?  I  wonder  if  any  one  ever  lived  who  sup- 
posed that  family  prayer  was  not  more  pleasing  to 
God  than  the  omission  of  it.  I  wonder  if  any  one 
ever  omitted  it  for  fear  of  being  guilty  of  will-wor- 
ship, or  through  dread  that  it  might  for  some  reason 
offend  God?  I  wonder  if  the  practice  of  family 
prayer  ever  distressed  any  conscience  ?  The  omis- 
sion of  it  has  troubled  many. 

It  is  admitted,  I  believe,  to  be  the  will  of  God 
that  we  should  pray  to  him  socially.  The  Lord's 
prayer  was  constructed  for  social  use.  The  disci- 
ples were  directed  to  use  it  when  they  should  pray 
together;  and  it  is  accordingly  in  the  plural  num- 
ber; not  my  Father,  but  "our  Father."  Now,  ig 


iG  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

God  to  be  socially  worshipped,  and  yet  not  wor- 
shipped in  that  first,  most  permanent,  and  most  inter- 
esting form  of  society — the  form  of  society  insti- 
tuted by  God  himself — the  family  ?  Is  that  to  be 
believed?  But  the  Lord's  prayer  seems  not  only 
intended  for  social,  but  for  daily  use.  "  Give  us 
this  day  our  daily  bread,"  is  one  of  its  petitions. 
It  does  not  contemplate  the  morrow.  It  asks  sup- 
plies but  for  one  day.  Now  if,  as  it  appears  from 
this  reasoning,  social  prayer  should  be  daily,  where 
but  in  the  family,  the  society  which  is  abiding,  and 
which  a  single  roof  covers,  can  it  with  propriety  be 
daily?  Should  there  be  public  religious  services 
daily,  or  daily  prayer-meetings  for  this  purpose  ? 
Then,  how  suitable  it  is  that  those  who  together 
share  their  daily  bread,  should  together  daily  ask  it. 
How  reasonable  arid  comely  is  household  relig- 
ion— family  worship.  Common  blessings,  such  as 
families  daily  share,  call  for  common  thanksgiv- 
ings. Common  wants,  such  as  families  together 
feel,  call  for  common  supplications.  Is  it  not  fit 
that  families,  in  retiring  to  rest  at  night,  should 
together  commit  themselves  to  the  divine  keeping ; 
and  in  the  morning,  unite  in  praising  the  Lord  for 
having  been  their  protector?  It  is  a  clear  case,  it 
seems  to  me.  Besides,  fathers  are  directed  to  bring 
up  their  children  "in  the  nurture  and  admonition 
of  the  Lord."  But  can  they  do  this  while  they  pray 
not  with  them  and  for  them  ?  I  do  not  know  how 


DO  YOU  PRAY  IN  YOUR  FAMILY!      17 

we  are  to  comply  with  the  apostolical  exhortation 
to  pray  "  everywhere,"  unless  we  pray  in  the  fam- 
ily, as  well  as  under  other  circumstances. 

Is  any  one  in  doubt  whether  the  practice  or  omis- 
sion of  family  prayer  will  be  the  more  pleasing  sub- 
ject of  retrospect  from  the  dying  bed,  or  the  eternal 
world?  Parents  should  not  forget,  that  presently 
will  come  the  long-deferred  and  greatly  dreaded 
season  of  taking  the  last  look,  and  the  last  leave  of 
those  whom  their  decease  is  to  make  orphans.  0 
then,  what  a  sweet  thought  it  will  be  to  enter  into 
the  dying  meditation,  that  they  have  been  in  the 
daily  habit  of  bowing  down  with  their  children  in 
prayer,  and  commending  them  to  the  care  and  grace 
of  their  heavenly  Father,  and  that  they  may  now 
indulge  the  confident  hope  that  he  will  infinitely 
more  than  supply  the  paternal  place  which  they  are 
to  leave  vacant. 

But  what  need  of  more  argument  ?  I  suspect 
every  body  secretly  admits  the  obligation  of  family 
prayer.  I  judge  «=o  from  the  trouble  many  are  at  to 
apologize  for  the  neglect.  It  tries  them  not  a  little  to 
satisfy  even  themselves  with  an  excuse.  The  usual 
plea  is  inability.  They  have  not  the  gift,  they  say. 
What  gift?  Can  they  not  collect  their  family  to- 
gether night  and  morning  ?  Have  they  not  so  much 
authority  in  their  own  house  as  that?  And  then 
can  they  not  read  a  portion  of  Scripture  to  them; 
and  kneeling  down,  express  their  common  desires  to 

Pitt.  Tbo-jjhU.  2 


18  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

God?  If  they  cannot  frame  a  prayer  at  the  mo- 
ment, yet  can  they  not  use  a  form  ?  It  requires  no 
great  gift  to  read  a  prayer  in  an  audible  voice.  But 
what  if  it  be  hard  at  first,  it  will  soon  be  easy,  if 
persevered  in.  The  beginning  of  almost  every  good 
habit  is  difficult.  The  most  of  those  who  make  this 
apology,  presume  on  their  inability.  They  say  they 
cannot  before  they  have  tried.  But  until  they  have 
tried,  they  do  not  know  whether  they  can  or  not. 
What  if  some  have  tried  once,  and  failed.  One  fail- 
ure should  not  dishearten  them,  nor  two,  nor  even 
twenty.  Demosthenes  tried  speaking  many  times 
before  he  became  an  orator.  Besides,  how  do  those 
who  presume  on  their  inability  to  conduct  family 
worship,  know  what  assistance  they  might  receive 
from  God,  if  they  were  to  make  an  humble  and 
faithful  experiment. 

If  any  one  shall  condescend  to  read  this  who  does 
not  pray  in  his  family,  I  advise  him  to  commence 
immediately.  He  knows  that  he  will  never  be 
sorry  for  it,  if  he  does ;  but  he  is  not  so  sure  that  he 
may  not  be  sorry  for  it,  if  he  does  not.  If  there 
were  no  other  reason  in  favor  of  the  practice,  this 
alone  would  be  sufficient.  I  think  it  is  Jay  who 
says  that  a  family  without  prayer  is  like  a  house 
without  a  roof — it  has  no  protection.  Who  would 
like  to  live  in  such  a  house  ? 


I  MUSI  PRAY  MORE.  19 

3.  I  MUST  PRAY  MORE. 

I  habitually  feel  this  necessity;  but  the  othei 
day,  the  conviction  came  to  my  mind  with  strange 
power,  and  I  said  with  greater  emphasis  than  ever, 
/  must  pray  more.  It  struck  me  with  indescriba- 
ble wonder,  that  so  little  time  should  be  employed, 
and  so  little  energy  expended  in  prayer  even  by 
those  who  are  prompt  to  acknowledge  its  dignity  as 
a  privilege,  and  its  efficacy  as  a  means  of  obtaining 
good.  It  is  not  now  as  it  was  in  patriarchal  times. 
We  do  not  pray  as  Jacob  did.  He  wrestled  until 
the  breaking  of  the  day.  Yes,  his  praying  was 
wrestling,  and  it  lasted  all  night.  We  put  forth 
no  such  power  in  prayer,  and  we  do  npt  allow  the 
repose  of  our  nights  to  be  interrupted  by  it.  It  is 
not  because  our  wants  are  all  supplied  that  we  are 
so  feeble  and  brief  in  prayer — nor  is  it  that  God's 
bounty  is  exhausted.  We  are  as  poor  as  creatures 
ever  were,  and  he  as  rich  and  munificent  as  ever. 
His  hand  is  not  shortened,  neither  his  ear  heavy. 

Only  think  how  small  a  portion  of  each  succes- 
sive day  is  spent  in  prayer.  I  wonder  if  any  Chris- 
tian ever  thought  of  it  without  being  so  dissatisfied 
as  to  resolve  that  he  would  spend  more  time  in 
prayer  the  next  day.  Just  add  together  the  min- 
utes you  daily  occupy  in  supplication,  and  the  kin- 
dred exercises  of  devotion,  scriptural  reading,  and 
meditation,  and  see  to  what  it  will  amount. 


20  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

the  sum  total  be  one  hour?  What,  less  than  an 
hour  a  day  in  devotion  ?  not  one  twenty-fourth  part 
of  time.  And  is  this  all  which  can  be  afforded  ? 
Let  us  see.  How  much  time  has  business?  Could 
not  a  little  be  saved  from  business  for  prayer?  Do 
you  not  give  an  hour  or  two  more  to  business  every 
day  than  it  absolutely  requires  ?  Then  how  much 
time  has  sleep  for  the  refreshment  of  the  body? 
Might  not  some  little  time  be  redeemed  from  sleep 
and  spent  in  prayer,  with  more  profit  to  the  whole 
man  than  if  it  were  given  to  repose  ?  Would  not 
the  soul  thereby  obtain  a  rest,  which  would  most 
favorably  react  on  the  body  ?  I  do  not  believe  that 
the  psalmist  suffered  any  thing  in  the  day  for  the 
hours  of  night  he  spent  in  communing  on  his  bed 
with  his  own  heart  and  with  God.  I  do  not  believe 
that  even  "  tired  nature  "  had  any  reason  to  com- 
plain of  that  interruption  of  the  repose  due  to  her. 
I  suspect  he  enjoyed  as  good  health,  and  was  as 
vigorous  through  the  day  as  we,  though  he  rose  at 
midnight  to  give  thanks  unto  God,  and  prevented 
the  dawning  of  the  morning  with  his  prayer.  Such 
interruptions  of  sleep  are  no  loss  even  to  the  body. 
I  am  sure,  and  I  think  no  one  can  doubt,  that  con- 
siderably more  time  might  be  afforded  for  prayer 
than  is  actually  given  to  it.  If  we  take  none  from 
business  and  none  from  sleep,  yet  could  not  some  be 
spared  from  the  table,  or  conversation,  which  is  not 
always  the  most  profitable  ?  Perhaps  some  of  us 


I  MUST  PRAY  MORE.  21 

spend  more  time  in  barely  receiving  the  body's 
nourishment,  than  we  do  in  the  entire  care  of  the 
soul !  But  not  to  dwell  to  tediousness  on  this  topic. 
You  have  only  to  look  back  on  a  day,  to  perceive 
how  much  of  it  might  have  been  spent  in  prayer 
and  devotion  without  interfering  with  any  thing 
which  ought  not  to  be  interfered  with. 

Seeing  then  that  we  can  pray  more — that  time 
can  be  afforded  for  it,  I  am  amazed  that  we  do  not 
pray  more.  If  prayer  was  nothing  but  a  duty,  we 
ought  to  pray  more.  We  do  not  pray  enough  to 
discharge  the  mere  obligation  of  prayer.  We  are 
comtnanded  to  pray  more  than  we  do,  aye,  to  pray 
"without  ceasing."  But  prayer,  while  it  is  a  duty, 
is  rather  to  be  viewed  by  us  in  the  light  of  a 
'privilege.  And  0,  it  is  such  a  privilege  !  What  a 
favor,  that  we  may  petition  God  and  ask  of  him 
eternal  life,  with  the  confidence  that  we  shall  not 
ask  in  vain.  How  strange  it  is  that  we  no  more 
value  and  exercise  this  privilege  of  prayer.  It  is 
astonishing  that  the  sense  of  want,  or  the  desire  of 
happiness,  does  not  carry  us  oftener  to  the  throne 
of  grace,  and  that  we  should  ever  require  to  be  in- 
cited to  prayer  by  the  stimulus  of  conscience.  Oh, 
I  wonder  that  we  do  not  oftener  go  in  unto  the 
King,  whose  gracious  sceptre  is  ever  extended  tow- 
ards us — I  wonder  we  have  not  more  frequent 
and  longer  interviews  with  our  heavenly  Father. 
It  is  strange  we  do  not  pray  more,  when  prayer  is 


22  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

the  easiest  way  of  obtaining  good.  What  is  so  easy 
as  to  ask  for  what  we  want?  How  could  we  re- 
ceive blessings  on  cheaper  terms  ?  Surely  it  is 
easier  than  to  labor,  and  less  expensive  than  to 
buy.  It  may  be  hard  to  the  spirit  to  ask  of  men. 
To  beg  of  them  you  may  be  ashamed.  But  no  such 
feeling  should  keep  you  aloof  from  God.  He  giveth 
and  upbraideth  not. 

But  prayer  is  not  merely  the  easiest  way  of  ob- 
taining good  ;  it  is  the  only  way  of  obtaining  the 
greatest  of  all  good.  The  subordinate  necessaries 
of  life  we  get  by  labor  or  purchase ;  but  the  things 
we  most  need  are  given  in  answer  to  prayer.  The 
one  thing  needful  is  a  divine  donation.  We  ask, 
and  receive  it.  Now  we  labor  much.  Why  do  we 
not  pray  more  ?  Do  we  seek  a  profitable  employ- 
ment ?  None  is  so  profitable  as  prayer.  No  labor 
makes  so  large  a  return.  If  you  have  an  unoccu- 
pied hour — and  you  have  many,  or  might  have 
by  redeeming  time — you  cannot  employ  it  in  any 
way  that  shall  tell  so  favorably  on  your  interests 
as  by  filling  it  up  with  petitions  to  God.  Yet  when 
we  have  such  an  hour,  how  apt  we  are  to  spend  it 
in  unprofitable  intercourse  with  our  fellows,  rather 
than  in  communion  with  God.  It  is  wonderful 
that  we  talk  so  much,  when  "the  talk  of  the  lips 
tendeth  only  to  penury,"  and  pray  so  little,  when 
prayer  "brings  a  quick  return  of  blessings  in 
variety." 


I  MUST  PRAY  MORE  23 

Is  there  any  tiling  attended  by  a  purer  pleasure 
than  prayer?  One  who  knew,  said,  "It  is  good  for 
me  to  draw  near  to  God ;"  and  again,  "  It  is  good 
to  sing  praises  unto  our  God ;  for  it  is  pleasant, 
and  praise  is  comely."  All  the  exercises  of  devo- 
tion are  as  full  of  pleasure  as  they  are  abundant  in 
profit. 

But  prayer  is  not  only  a  means  of  getting  good, 
it  is  such  a  means  of  doing  good,  that  I  wonder  our 
benevolence  does  not  lead  us  to  pray  more.  We  are 
commanded,  "as  we  have  opportunity,"  to  do  good 
unto  all  men.  Now  prayer  affords  us  the  oppor- 
tunity of  being  universal  benefactors.  Through 
God  we  can  reach  all  men.  We  can  make  OUF- 
selves  felt  by  all  the  world,  by  moving  the  hand 
that  moves  it.  In  no  other  way  can  we  reach  all. 
Prayer  makes  us,  in  a  sense,  omnipresent  and  om- 
nipotent. It  prevails  with  Him  who  is  both. 

The  uxtrld  needs  your  intercessions  :  it  lies  in 
wickedness.  Zion  needs  them  :  she  languishes 
because  few  pray  for  her  peace — few  come  to  her 
solemn  assemblies.  Whose  family  needs  not  the 
prayers  of  its  every  member  ?  Who  has  not  kindred 
that  are  out  of  Christ?  With  such  a  call  upon  us 
for  prayer  so  urgent,  and  from  so  many  quarters,  I 
wonder  we  pray  no  more. 

I  must  pray  more,  for  then  I  shall  do  more — 
more  for  God,  and  more  for  myself;  for  I  find  that 
when  I  pray  most,  I  accomplish  more  in  the  briefer 


24  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

intervals  between  my  devotions,  than  when  I  give 
all  my  time  to  labor  or  study.  I  am  convinced 
there  is  nothing  lost  by  prayer.  I  am  sure  nothing 
helps  a  student  like  prayer.  His  most  felicitous 
hours — his  hours  of  most  successful  application  to 
study,  are  those  which  immediately  follow  his  sea- 
sons of  most  fervent  devotion.  And  no  wonder. 
Shall  the  collision  of  created  minds  with  each 
other  produce  in  them  a  salutary  excitement,  and 
shall  not  the  communion  of  those  minds  with  the 
infinite  Intelligence  much  more  excite  them,  and 
make  them  capable  of  Avider  thought  and  loftier 
conceptions  ? 

I  must  pray  more,  because  other  Christians, 
whose  biography  I  have  read,  have  prayed  more 
than  I  do. 

God  is  disposed  to  hear  more  prayers  from  me 
than  I  offer,  and  Jesus  the  Mediator  stands  ready 
to  present  more  for  me. 

If  I  pray  more,  I  shall  sin  less. 

I  ivill  pray  more.  The  Lord  help  to  fulfil  this 
resolution. 


I  MUST  PRAY  DIFFERENTLY.  25 

4.   I  MUST  PRAT  DIFFERENTLY. 

Some  time  ago  I  felt  strongly  the  necessity  of 
praying  more,  and  I  expressed  that  impression  in 
an  article  entitled,  "  I  must  pray  more."  Now  I 
feel  that  I  must  not  only  pray  more,  but  differently ; 
and  that  my  praying  more  will  not  answer  any  good 
purpose,  unless  I  also  pray  differently.  I  find  that 
quality  is  to  he  considered  in  praying  as  well  as 
quantity;  and,  indeed,  the  former  more  than  the 
latter.  We  learn  from  Isaiah,  chapter  1,  that  it  is 
possible  to  make  many  prayers,  or  to  multiply 
prayer,  as  it  is  in  the  margin,  and  yet  not  be  heard. 
The  scribes  and  Pharisees  made  long  prayers,  but 
their  much  praying  availed  them  nothing;  while 
the  single  short  petition  of  the  publican  was  effect- 
ual to  change  his  entire  prospects  for  eternity.  It 
was  because  it  was  prayer  of  the  right  kind.  It  is 
a  great  error  to  suppose  that  we  shall  be  heard  for 
our  much  speaking.  Let  me,  however,  say,  that 
while  length  is  not  by  itself  any  recommendation 
of  prayer,  yet  we  have  the  highest  and  best  au- 
thority for  continuing  a  long  time  in  prayer.  We 
know  who  it  was  that,  "rising  up  a  great  while  be- 
fore day,"  departed  into  a  solitary  place,  and  there 
prayed ;  and  of  whom  it  is  recorded  in  another 
place,  that  he  "continued  all  night  in  prayer  to 
God."  Certainly  they  should  spend  a  great  deal  of 
time  in  prayer,  who  are  instructed  to  "  pray  with- 


26  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

out  ceasing."  It  is  in  the  social  and  public  worship 
of  God  that  long  prayers  are  out  of  place. 

But  to  return  from  this  digression.  I  must  pray 
differently  ;  and  I  will  tell  you  one  thing  which  has 
led  me  to  think  so.  I  find  that  I  do  not  pray  effect- 
ually. It  may  be  the  experience  of  others,  as  well 
as  of  myself.  I  do  not  obtain  what  I  ask ;  and  that 
though  I  ask  for  the  right  sort  of  things.  If  I  asked 
fot  temporal  good,  and  did  not  receive  it,  I  should 
know  how  to  account  for  it.  I  should  conclude  that 
I  was  denied  in  mercy  ;  and  that  my  prayer,  though 
not  answered  in  kind,  was  answered  in  better  kind. 
.But  I  pray  for  spiritual  blessing — for  what  is  in- 
herently and  under  all  circumstances  good,  and  do 
not  obtain  it.  How  is  this  ?  There  is  no  fault  in 
the  hearer  of  prayer — no  unfaithfulness  in.  God. 
The  fault  must  be  in  the  offerer.  I  do  not  pray 
right.  And  since  there  is  no  use  in  asking  without 
obtaining,  the  conclusion  is  that  I  must  pray  differ- 
ently. 

I  find,  moreover,  that  I  do  not  pray  as  they  did 
in  old  time,  whose  prayers  were  so  signally  an- 
swered. When  I  compare  my  prayers  with  those 
of  the  patriarchs,  especially  with  that  of  Jacob — 
and  with  the  prayers  of  the  prophets,  those,  for  in- 
stance, of  Elijah  and  Daniel ;  when  I  compare  my 
manner  of  making  suit  to  the  Saviour,  with  the 
appeals  made  to  him  by  the  blind  men,  and  by  the 
woman  of  Canaan;  and  above  all,  when  I  lay  my 


MUST  PRAY  DIFFERENTLY.  27 

prayers  alongside  of  His,  who  "offered  up  prayers 
and  supplications  with  strong  crying  and  tears,"  I 
perceive  such  a  dissimilarity,  that  I  thence  con- 
clude I  must  pray  differently. 

I  find  also  that  I  do  not  urge  my  suits  to  God  as 
I  do  those  which  I  have  sometimes  occasion  to 
make  to  men.  I  am  wiser  as  a  child  of  this  world, 
than  I  am  as  one  of  the  children  of  light.  When 
I  want  to  carry  a  point  with  a  human  power,  I  find 
that  I  take  more  pains,  and  am  more  intent  upon 
it,  and  use  greater  vigilance  and  effort,  than  when 
I  want  to  gain  something  of  God.  It  is  clear,  then, 
that  I  must  alter  and  reform  my  prayers.  I  must 
pray  differently. 

But  in  what  respects ;  Iww  differently  ? 

1.  I  must  not  speak  to  God  at  a  distance.    I  must 
draw  near  to  him.     Nor  that  alone.     I  must  stir 
myself  up   to  take  Iwld  of  him.     Isaiah  64  :  7. 
Yea,  I  must  take  hold  of  his  strength,  that  I  may 
make    peace    with   him.     Isaiah  27  :  5.     I  have 
been  satisfied  with  approaching  God.     I  must,  as 
it  were,  appreliend  him. 

2.  I  must  not  only  take  hold  of  God  in  prayer 
but  I  must  Iwld  fast  to  him,  and  not  let  him  go 
except  he  bless  me.     So  Jacob  did.     There  were 
two  important  ingredients  in  his  prayer — faith  and 
perseverance.    By  the  one  he  took  hold  of  God ;  by 
the  other  he  held  fast  to  him  till  the  blessing  was 
obtained. 


28  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

3.  I  must  be  more  affected  by  the  subjects  about 
which  I  pray.     I  must  join  tears  to  my  prayers. 
Prayers  and  tears  used  to  go  together  much  more 
than  they  do  now.     Hosea  says  that  Jacob  "wept 
and  made  supplication."     Hannah  wept  while  she 
prayed.      So  did  Nehemiah,  and  David,  and  Heze- 
kiah ;   and  God,  in  granting  the  request  of  the  last 
mentioned,  uses  this  language  :  "I  have  heard  thy 
prayer,  I  have  seen  thy  tears."    But  a  greater  than 
all  these  is  here.     Jesus  offered  up  prayers  "with 
strong  crying  and  tears."     Some  think  it  unmanly 
to  weep.     I  do  not  know  how  that  may  be ;  but  I 
know  it  is  not  unchristian.    It  is  thought  by  some, 
that  men  must  have  been  more  addicted  to  tears 
then  than  they  are  now ;  but  it  is  my  opinion  that 
they  felt  more,  and  that  is  the   reason  they  wept 
more.     "Now  I  must  feel  so  as  to  weep  ;   not  by 
constraint,  but  in  spite  of  myself.     I  must  be  so 
affected,  that  God  shall  see  my  tears  as  well  as 
hear  my  voice ;  and  in  order  to  being  so  affected,  I 
must  meditate.     It  was  while  David  mused  that 
the  fire  burned ;  and  then  he  spoke  with  his  tongue 
in  the  language  of  prayer.     And  we  know  that 
which  melted  his  heart  affected  his  eye ;  for  in  the 
same  psalm,  the  thirty-ninth,  he  says,  "  Hold  not  thy 
peace  at  my  tears." 

4.  There   are    other  accompaniments  of  prayer 
which   I    must    not    omit.      Nehemiah    not   only 
wept  and  prayed,  but  also  mourned^  and  fasted, 


I  MUST  PRAY  DIFFERENTLY.  29 

and  made  confession.     Why  should  not  I  do  the 


same 


5.  I  must  plead  as  well  as  pray.     My  prayers 
must  be  more  of  the  nature  of  arguments — and  I 
must  make  greater  use  than  I  have  ever  done  of 
certain  pleas.     There  is  one  derived  from  the  char- 
acter of  God.     "For  thy  name's  sake,  pardon  mine 
iniquity.     Have  mercy  on  me  according  to  thy  lov- 
ing-kindness."    Another  is  derived  from  the  prom- 
ises of  God.     "Hath  he  said,  and  shall  he  not  do 
it;  or  hath  he  spoken,  and  shall  he  not  make  it 
good  ?"     Another  is  drawn  from  the  past  doings  of 
God.     "  I  will  remember  the   years  of  the  right 
hand   of  the  Most  High.     I  will   remember  the 
works  of  the  Lord ;  surely  I  will  remember  thy 
wonders  of  old."     I  must  also  plead  Christ  more 
in  my  prayers.     The  argument  is  drawn  out  to  our 
hands  by  Paul :  "  He  that  spared  not  his  own  Son 
....  how  sJiall  he  not  with  him  also  freely  give 
us  all  things  ?" 

6.  But  again,  I  must  cry  unto  the  Lord.     Cry- 
ing  expresses    more   than   praying.     It  expresses 
earnest,   fervent  prayer.     This  is  what   they   all 
used   to  do.     They   cried  to  God.     The  psalmist 
says,  "  I  cried  with  my  iclvde  Jicart."     I  must  cry 
with  my  whole  heart — yea,  mightily,  as  even  the 
Ninevites  did,  else  those  heathen  will  rise  up  in 
the  judgment  and  condemn  me. 

7.  T  must  seek  the  Lord  in  prayer,  feeling  as  did 


30  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

Job,  when  he  said,  "0,  that  I  knew  where  I  might 
find  him,  that  I  might  come  even  to  his  seat !"  And 
this  I  must  do,  as  Judah  is  once  said  to  have  done, 
with  my  "whole  desire."  Yea,  I  must  search  for 
him  with  all  my  heart.  I  must  even  pour  out  my 
heart  before  him,  as  the  psalmist,  on  one  occasion, 
exhorts.  I  must  "  keep  not  silence,  and  give  him 
no  rest,"  as  Isaiah  directs;  "night  and  day  pray- 
ing exceedingly,"  as  Paul  says  he  did. 

8.  And  I  must  pray  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  Jude 
exhorts.  We  need  the  Spirit  to  help  our  infirmi- 
ties, and  to  make  intercession  for  us.  Nor  should 
we  be  satisfied  with  any  prayer  in  which  we  have 
not  seemed  to  have  his  help. 

Finally,  I  must  alter  and  alter  my  prayers,  till  I 
get  them  right ;  and  I  must  not  think  them  right 
until  I  obtain  the  spiritual  blessings  which  they 
ask.  If  I  pray  for  more  grace  and  do  not  get  it,  I 
must  pray  differently  for  it,  till  I  do  obtain  it. 

Oh,  if  Christians  prayed  differently,  as  well  as 
more,  what  heavenly  places  our  closets  would  be. 
What  interesting  meetings  prayer-meetings  would 
be.  What  revivals  of  religion  we  should  have  ; 
how  frequent,  numerous,  and  pure.  What  a  mul- 
titude of  souls  would  be  converted.  What  joyful 
tidings  we  should  hear  from  our  missionary  sta- 
tions, and  from  the  heathen  world.  Oh,  what 
times  we  should  have.  The  millennium  would  be 
on  us  before  we  knew  it. 


WHY  PRAYER  IS  NOT  HEARD.       31 

And  because  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  Spirit  of 
truth,  the  offering  of  a  different  kind  of  prayer  for 
the  Spirit  would  do  more  to  put  down  error  than 
all  other  means  which  can  be  resorted  to.  The 
preachers  of  truth  cannot  put  it  down  without  the 
aid  of  the  Spirit  of  truth. 

Let  us  then  pray  differently.  Let  us  at  least  try. 
1  am  sure  it  is  worth  the  effort.  Let  every  one 
who  reads  this,  resolve,  "  I  will  pray  differently  " 


«.   WHY  PRAYER  IS  NOT  HEARD. 

There  are  some  who  are  not  at  all  interested  in 
this  inquiry.  They  offer  no  prayer.  There  is  in 
their  case  nothing  to  be  heard.  They  are  content 
with  the  things  which  are  to  be  had  without  ask- 
ing. Such  are  in  a  bad  way,  and  I  suspect  they 
sometimes  themselves  think  so.  That  dependent 
creatures  should  habitually  and  devoutly  acknow- 
ledge their  dependence  before  God  ;  and  that  needy 
creatures,  whose  necessities  return  every  day,  and 
indeed  recur  with  every  moment,  should  ask  God 
to  supply  them,  is  too  reasonable  a  thing  for  men 
to  neglect  it,  and  yet  be  at  perfect  peace  with 
themselves. 

But  to  pass  from  those  who  never  make  the  ex- 
periment of  prayer,  we  observe  that  gome  pray 


32  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

without  any  expectation  or  care  to  be  heard.  To 
obtain  is  not  their  object.  Their  end  is  accom- 
plished in  asking.  They  hear  and  judge  that 
prayer  is  a  duty  owed  to  God.  They  therefore 
pray,  that  they  may  discharge  this  duty ;  and  hav- 
ing prayed,  and  so  done  their  duty,  they  are  satis- 
fied. Of  course  such  persons  obtain  nothing.  Why 
should  they  ?  If  a  child  of  yours  should  come  and 
ask  you  for  any  thing  from  a  mere  sense  of  duty, 
you  would  say,  "  Very  well,  you  have  done  your 
duty,  go ;"  but  you  would  not  give  him  the  thing. 
He  did  not  ask  it  with  any  wish  to  get  it.  He  does 
not  feel  his  want  of  it.  He  meant  only  to  do  his 
duty  in  asking.  It  makes  very  little  difference 
with  such  what  is  the  matter  of  their  prayer — 
what  petitions  they  offer.  Any  thing  that  is  of  the 
nature  of  supplication  will  do.  It  is  true,  they 
generally  pray  for  the  right  things,  because  the 
prayers  they  have  heard  and  read  petitioned  for 
such,  and  they  fall  naturally  into  that  style  of 
prayer.  Ask  such  persons  if  their  prayers  are 
heard,  and  you  astonish  them.  That  is  what  they 
never  looked  for.  They  never  asked  any  thing 
with  the  hope  of  receiving  it — never  prayed  from 
a  sense  of  want.  I  have  sometimes  thought,  how 
many  would  never  pray,  if  prayer  was  not  a  duty. 
They  never  pray  except  when  urged  to  it  by  con- 
science As  a  privilege,  they  set  no  value  on  it. 
Now  the  truth  is,  when  a  man  is  really  engaged 


WHY  PRAYER  18  NOT  HEARD.  33 

in  prayer,  he  altogether  forgets  that  it  is  a  duty. 
He  feels  that  he  wants  something  which  God  alone 
can  give,  and  therefore  goes  and  asks  it ;  and  feel- 
ing that  he  wants  it  very  much,  he  is  in  earnest, 
asks  and  asks  again,  and  waits  and  pleads  for  it 
till  he  gets  it.  Does  any  one  suppose  that  the  pub- 
lican smote  on  his  breast,  and  cried,  "  God  be  mer- 
ciful to  me  a  sinner,"  from  a  sense  of  duty,  and  not 
rather  from  a  conviction  of  sin,  and  a  deep  feeling 
of  his  need  of  mercy?  And  yet  how  many  ask  for 
mercy  from  a  mere  sense  of  duty.  They  have  their 
reward,  but  they  do  not  obtain  mercy. 

Some  prayers  proceed  from  a  conviction  of  want, 
while  there  is  no  sense  of  want.  The  persons  judge 
that  they  need  the  things  they  ask  for,  but  they  do 
not  feel  their  need  of  them.  Now,  prayers  which 
come  from  no  deeper  source  than  the  understand- 
ing, are  not  heard.  They  must  come  from  the 
heart.  True  prayer  always  originates  in  the  heart. 
It  is  the  heart's  sincere  desire.  Or,  as  another  has 
well  described  it,  "  It  is  a  sense  of  want,  seeking 
relief  from  God." 

But  there  may  be  a  sense  of  want,  and  yet  no 
real  desire  for  that  which  is  adapted  to  the  supply 
of  the  want.  In  that  case  the  prayer,  not  being 
sustained  by  a  corresponding  desire  in  the  heart,  is 
not  heard.  There  is  a  conflict  here.  The  lips  pray 
ere  thing  and  the  heart  another.  The  request  is, 
perhaps,  to  be  delivered  from  all  sin,  but  the  desire 

Prtc.  Thoujhu.  3 


34  PRACTICAL   THOUGHTS. 

is  to  be  delivered  from  all  but  one  or  two  favorite 
sins.  Now  it  would  be  strange  if  God  should  grant 
a  man's  request  to  the  disregard  of  his  desire — that 
he  should  attend  to  the  lips  rather  than  the  heart, 
and  answer  the  prayer  according  to  its  terms  rather 
than  its  meaning. 

But  sometimes  the  desire  for  the  thing  requested 
is  real,  while  the  mischief  is,  it  is  not  paramount — 
it  is  not  supreme.  This  is  a  common  case.  The 
prayer  expresses  what  is  desired,  but  not  what  is 
desired  on  the  whole.  Many  really  wish  to  be  re- 
ligious, and  they  pray  that  they  may  be  so,  but 
they  do  not  on  the  whole  desire  it.  They  have  a 
strange  wish  to  be  something  else  which  is  incom- 
patible with  their  being  religious.  Again,  some 
sincerely  desire  the  progress  of  the  gospel,  and  pray, 
"thy  kingdom  come,"  but  they  desire  still  more  to 
take  their  ease,  or  to  keep  their  money.  Perhaps 
some  of  this  description  attend  the  monthly  concert. 
But  desire  may  be  sincere  and  supreme,  and  yet 
not  intense.  Effectual  prayer  is  the  expression  of 
intense  desire.  The  examples  of  successful  prayer 
recorded  in  the  Bible  evince  this.  The  woman  of 
Canaan  sincerely,  supremely,  and  intensely  desired 
what  she  asked.  Such  was  the  character  of  Jacob's 
desire  for  a  blessing,  and  of  the  publican's  for  mercy. 
Where  the  desire  of  spiritual  blessings  is  not  very 
strong,  it  shows  that  these  blessings  are  not  suitably 
estimated. 


WHY  PRAYER  IS  NOT  HEARD.  35 

A  great  deal  depends  on  having  a  petition  prop- 
erly presented.  It  is  all-important  to  get  it  into 
the  right  hands.  A  petition  frequently  fails  through 
inattention  to  this.  If  the  proper  person  had  been, 
engaged  to  present  and  urge  it,  it  would  have  been, 
granted.  This  holds  true  of  suits  to  the  throne  of 
the  heavenly  grace.  We  must  ask  in  the  name  of 
Christ.  We  must  put  our  petitions  into  his  hands, 
and  engage  the  great  Advocate  to  present  and  urge 
them.  Him  the  Father  always  hears.  Even  the 
prayers  of  the  saints  need  an  incense  to  be  offered 
along  with  them  to  render  them  acceptable.  Thai 
incense  is  Christ's  intercession. 

To  present  a  petition  is  one  thing ;  to  prosecute 
a  suit  is  another.  Most  prayer  answers  to  the 
former ;  but  successful  prayer  corresponds  to  the 
latter.  The  children  of  this  world  are,  in  this  re- 
spect, wise  in  their  generation.  When  they  have 
a  petition  to  carry,  they  go  with  it  to  the  seat  of 
government,  and  having  conveyed  it  by  the  proper 
channel  to  the  power  which  is  to  decide  upon  it, 
they  anxiously  await  the  decision ;  in  the  mean  time 
securing  all  the  influence  they  can,  and  doing 
every  thing  possible  to  insure  a  favorable  result. 
So  should  the  children  of  light  do.  But  frequently 
they  just  lodge  their  petition  in  the  court  of  heaven, 
and  there  they  let  it  lie.  They  do  not  press  their 
suit.  They  do  not  employ  other  means  of  further- 
ing it,  beyond  the  simple  presenting  of  it.  They 


36  PKACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

do  not  await  the  decision  on  it.  The  whole  of 
prayer  does  not  consist  in  taking  hold  of  God.  The 
main  matter  is  holding  on.  How  many  are  in- 
duced, by  the  slightest  appearance  of  repulse,  to 
let  go,  as  Jacob  did  not.  I  have  been  struck  wjth 
the  manner  in  which  petitions  are  usually  con- 
cluded: "And  your  petitioners  will  ever  pray." 
So  "men  ought  always  to  pray"  to  God,  "and 
never  faint."  Payson  says,  "The  promise  of  God 
is  not  to  the  act,  but  to  the  habit  of  prayer." 

Sometimes  prayer  is  not  heard,  because  not  offered 
^n  faith.  "He  that  cometh  to  God,  must  believe." 
Yea,  he  must  "ask  in  faith,  nothing  wavering." 
Sometimes  it  is  for  want  of  a  concomitant  stibmis- 
sion  to  the  will  of  God.  He  who  said,  "  Let  this  cup 
pass  from  me,"  added,  "Nevertheless,  not  as  I  will, 
but  as  thou  wilt."  Often  prayer  fails,  because  the 
direction  to  pray  everywhere  is  neglected.  The  peti- 
tion proceeds  from  the  closet ;  but  is  not  also  offered 
in  the  family,  in  the  social  meeting,  and  in  the  sol- 
emn assembly.  Sometimes  a  specific  direction  is 
given  concerning  something  to  be  done  in  connec- 
tion with  prayer,  which  being  neglected,  the  pray- 
er by  itself  is  unavailing.  Thus,  in  order  that  we 
may  not  enter  into  temptation,  we  are  commanded 
to  "watch  and  pray."  Vain  is  prayer  to  secure 
against  temptation,  if  vigilance  be  omitted.  Prayer 
is  sometimes  inefi'ectual,  because  too  general.  When 
"we  ask  many  things,  it  commonly  indicates  that  we 


WHY   PRAYER  IS  NOT  HEARD.  37 

are  not  in  earnest  for  any  thing.  The  heart  is  in- 
capable of  being  at  the  same  time  the  subject  of 
many  intense  desires.  The  memorials  of  the  chil- 
dren of  this  world  are  specific.  They  are  rarely 
encumbered  with  more  than  one  petition.  Does 
any  one  suppose,  that  when  prayer  was  made  of  the 
church  for  Peter,  being  in  prison,  they  prayed  for 
every  body  and  every  thing  first,  and  only  brought 
in  Peter's  case  at  the  close? 

Petitions  have  usually  numerous  signatures.  So 
should  there  be  union  in  prayer  among  Christians. 
Social  supplication  has  particular  value,  in  the  esti- 
mation of  God.  Special  promises  are  made  to  it. 

Need  I  say  tliat  allowed  sin  vitiates  prayer  ?  "  If 
I  regard  iniquity  in  my  heart,  the  Lord  will  not 
hear  me." 

There  is  a  regard  to  the  promises  which  ought  to 
be  had  in  prayer.  Moreover,  confession  of  sin  out 
of  a  broken  heart,  and  gratitude  for  good  received, 
should  accompany  it.  And  there  is  a  "praying  in 
the  Holy  Ghost,"  which  we  should  aim  to  under- 
stand and  realize. 

At  an  earlier  stage  of  these  remarks,  I  might 
have  observed  that  some  prayer  is  not  heard,  be- 
cause it  is  said,  rather  than  prayed.  Now,  prayer 
ought  to  be  prayed.  The  closet  is  not  the  place  for 
recitation.  What  more  common  than  this  expres- 
sion, "  I  must  say  my  prayers  ?"  Must  you,  indeed  ? 
Is  this  the  way  you  speak  of  it  ?  Is  it  a  task  to 


38  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

which  you  are  going  reluctantly  to  apply  yourself? 
And  say  your  prayers  too  !  How  this  contrasts  with 
the  cheerful  purpose  of  the  psalmist:  "My  voice 
shalt  thou  hear  in  the  morning,  0  Lord;  in  the 
morning  ivill  I  direct  my  prayer  unto  thee,  and  will 
look  up." 

Perhaps  one  brings  his  gift  to  the  altar,  and  for- 
gets that  his  brother  has  aught  against  him ;  or 
remembering  it,  does  not  go  first  and  seek  reconcil- 
iation with  him,  but  proceeds  to  offer  his  gift,  and 
that  is  the  reason  it  is  not  accepted. 

Many  a  Christian  hinders  his  prayer  by  indulg- 
ing in  that  species  of  unbelief  which  surmises  that 
what  he  asks  is  too  great  a  thing  for  God  to  bestow 
on  one  so  unworthy  as  he  is.  He  forgets  that  the 
greatest,  aye,  the  greatest  gift,  has  ^already  been 
conferred  in  God's  own  Son,  and  the  foundation 
therein  laid  for  the  argument,  "  How  shall  he  not 
with  him  also  freely  give  us  all  things?"  God 
having  begun  his  bounty  in  such  a  style  of  magnifi- 
cence, consistency  requires  him  now  to  go  on,  and 
do  the  greatest  possible  thing  for  the  recipients  of 
his  Son. 


I  MUST  PRAISE  MORE.  39 

6.   I  MUST  PRAISE  MORE. 

The  title  of  a  recent  article  was,  "I  must  pray 
more;"  and  in  it  I  expressed  wonder  that  we  pray 
so  little,  and  gave  reasons  why  we  should  pray 
more.  But  it  strikes  me  that  we  ought  to  praise 
more,  as  well  as  pray  more.  I  do  not  know  how  it 
is  with  others,  but  I  know  that  I  have  a  great  deal 
for  which  to  he  thankful  and  to  praise  God.  I  feel 
that  it  will  not  do  for  me  to  spend  all  my  breath  in 
prayer.  I  should  thus,  it  is  true,  acknowledge  my 
dependence  on  God;  but  where  would  be  the  ac- 
knowledgment of  his  benefits  conferred  upon  me? 
I  must  spend  a  part  of  my  breath  in  praise.  0,  to 
be  animated  from  above  with  that  life  whose  alter- 
nate breath  is  prayer  and  praise.  God  has  been 
very  good  to  me.  Yes,  he  has  exercised  goodness 
towards  me  in  all  its  various  forms  of  pity,  forbear- 
ance, care,  bounty,  grace,  and  mercy ;  or  to  express 
all  in  one  word,  "God  is  k>ve,"  and  he  has  beeu 
love  to  me.  I  do  not  know  why  he  should  have 
treated  me  so  kindly.  I  have  sought,  but  can  find 
no  reason  out  of  himself.  I  conclude  it  is  because 
he  "  delighteth  in  mercy."  His  nature  being  love,  it 
is  natural  for  him  to  love  his  creatures,  and  espec- 
ially those  whom  he  has  called  to  be  his  children. 
O,  the  goodness  of  God.  The  thought  of  it  some- 
times comes  over  me  with  very  great  power,  and  I 
am  overwhelmed  in  admiration.  Nothing  so  easily 


40  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

breaks  up  the  fountain  of  tears  within  me.  Those 
drops,  if  I  may  judge  from  my  own  experience,  were 
intended  as  much  to  express  gratitude  as  grief.  I 
think  I  shall  be  able,  without  weariness,  to  spend 
eternity  on  the  topic  of  divine  love  and  goodness. 

Reader,  can  you  not  adopt  my  language  as  your 
own?  Has  not  God  been  the  same  to  you?  And 
shall  we  not  praise  him?  Shall  all  our  devotion 
consist  in  prayer?  Shall  we  be  always  thinking  of 
our  wants,  and  never  of  his  benefits — always  dwell- 
ing on  what  remains  to  be  done,  and  never  thinking 
of  what  has  already  been  done  for  us — always  utter- 
ing desire,  and  never  expressing  gratitude — expend- 
ing all  our  voice  in  supplication,  and  none  of  it  in 
song  ?  Is  this  the  way  to  treat  a  benefactor  ?  No, 
indeed.  It  is  not  just  so  to  treat  him;  neither  is  it 
wise.  It  is  very  bad  policy  to  praise  no  more  than 
Christians  in  general  do.  They  would  have  much 
more  success  in  prayer,  if  one  half  the  time  they 
now  spend  in  it  were  spent  in  praise.  I  do  not 
mean  that  they  pray  too  much,  but  that  they  praise 
too  little.  I  suspect  the  reason  why  the  Lord  did 
such  great  things  for  the  psalmist  was,  that  while 
he  was  not  by  any  means  deficient  in  prayer,  he 
abounded  in  praise.  The  Lord  heard  his  psalms; 
and  while  he  sung  of  mercy  shown,  showed  him 
more.  And  it  would  be  just  so  with  us,  if  we 
abounded  more  in  praise  and  thanksgiving.  It  dis- 
pleases God  that  we  should  be  always  dwelling  on 


I  MUST  PRAISE  MORE.  41 

our  wants,  as  if  he  had  never  supplied  one  of  them. 
How  do  we  know  that  God  is  not  waiting  for  us  to 
praise  him  for  a  benefit  he  has  already  conferred, 
before  he  will  confer  on  us  that  other  which  we  may 
be  now  so  earnestly  desiring  of  him?  It  is  wonder- 
ful how  much  more  prone  we  are  to  forget  the  ben- 
efit received,  than  the  benefit  wanted  ;  in  other 
words,  how  much  more  inclined  we  are  to  offer 
prayer  than  praise.  For  one  who  offers  genuine 
praise,  there  may  be  found  ten  that  pray.  Ten 
lepers  lifted  up  their  voices  together  in  the  prayer, 
"Jesus,  Master,  have  mercy  on  us;"  but  only  one 
of  the  ten  "returned  to  give  glory  to  God."  The 
rest  were  satisfied  with  the  benefit — this  one  only 
thought  gratefully  of  the  benefactor.  His  gratitude 
obtained  for  him,  I  doubt  not,  a  greater  blessing 
than  ever  his  prayer  had  procured ;  and  praise  has 
often,  I  believe,  in  the  experience  of  the  people  of 
God,  been  found  more  effectual  for  obtaining  bless- 
ings than  prayer.  A  person  being  once  cast  upon  a 
desolate  island,  spent  a  day  in  fasting  and  prayer 
for  his  deliverance,  but  no  help  came.  It  occurred 
to  him  then  to  keep  a  day  of  thanksgiving  and 
praise,  and  he  had  no  sooner  done  it  than  relief  was 
brought  to  him.  You  see,  as  soon  as  he  began  to 
sing  of  mercy  exercised,  the  exercise  of  mercy  was 
renewed  to  him.  The  Lord  heard  the  voice  of  his 
praise. 

Christian  reader,  you  complain  perhaps  that  your 


42  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

prayer  is  not  heard ;  suppose  you  try  the  efficacy 
of  praise.  Peradventure  you  will  find  that  the  way 
to  obtain  new  favors,  is  to  praise  the  Lord  for  favors 
received.  Perhaps,  if  you  consider  his  goodness,  he 
will  consider  your  wants.  It  may  be  you  are  a 
parent,  and  one  child  is  converted;  but  there  is 
another,  concerning  whom  you  say,  "  0  that  he 
might  live  before  thee."  Go  now  and  bless  the 
Lord  for  the  conversion  of  the  first,  and  it  is  very 
likely  he  will  give  thee  occasion  shortly  to  keep 
another  day  of  thanksgiving  for  the  salvation  of  the 
other.  Some  of  us  are  sick.  Perhaps  it  is  because 
we  did  not  praise  the  Lord  for  health.  We  forget 
that  benefit.  We  do  not  forget  our  sickness.  0  no. 
Nor  is  there  any  lack  of  desire  in  us  to  get  well. 
We  pray  for  recovery.  And  so  we  should ;  but  it 
strikes  me  that  we  might  get  well  sooner,  were  we 
to  dwell  with  less  grief  and  despondency  on  our  loss 
of  health,  and  to  contemplate  with  cheerful  and 
grateful  admiration  what  God  has  done  for  our 
souls ;  the  great  love  wherewith  he  loved  us,  even 
when  we  were  dead  in  sins ;  and  how  he  spared  not 
his  own  Son,  that  he  might  spare  us ;  and  gives  us 
now  his  Spirit,  to  be  in  us  the  earnest  of  heaven,  our 
eternal  home.  If  we  were  to  think  such  thoughts, 
to  the  forgetfulness  of  our  bodily  ailments,  I  judge 
it  would  be  better  for  the  whole  man,  body  and  soul 
both,  than  any  other  course  we  can  pursue.  If  the 
affliction  should  still  continue,  we  should  count  it 


I  MUST  PRAISE  MORE.  43 

light,  aye,  should  rejoice  in  it,  because  it  is  his  will, 
and  because  he  says  he  means  to  make  it  work  our 
good. 

There  is  nothing  glorifies  God  like  praise.  "Who- 
so oflereth  praise,  glorifieth  me."  Psa.  1 : 23.  Prayer 
expresses  dependence  and  desire ;  but  praise,  admi- 
ration and  gratitude.  By  it,  men  testify  and  tell 
all  abroad  that  God  is  good,  and  thus  others  are 
persuaded  to  "taste  and  see  that  the  Lord  is  good." 
Praise  is  altogether  the  superior  exercise  of  the  two. 
Prayer  may  be  purely  selfish  in  its  origin,  but  praise 
is  ingenuous.  Praise  is  the  employment  of  heaven. 
Angels  praise.  The  spirits  of  the  just  made  perfect 
praise.  We  shall  not  always  pray,  but  we  shall 
ever  praise.  Let  us  anticipate  the  employment  of 
heaven.  Let  us  exercise  ourselves  unto  praise. 
Let  us  learn  the  song  now,  "0  that  men  would 
praise  the  Lord  for  his  goodness."  But  above  all, 
"  let  the  saints  be  joyful  in  glory :  let  them  sing 
aloud  upon  their  beds."  I  charge  thee,  my  soul, 
to  praise  him,  and  he  will  never  let  thee  want  mat- 
ter for  praise.  "While  I  live  will  I  praise  the 
Lord  :  I  will  sing  praises  unto  my  God  while  I  have 
any  being." 


44          PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

7.  DO  YOU  REMEMBER  CHRIST  ? 

I  know  you  cannot  help  thinking  of  Christ  some- 
times. His  story  is  too  extraordinary  to  be  heard 
once  and  never  again  remembered.  There  is  also 
much  which  we  daily  see  and  hear,  to  remind  us  of 
him.  Doubtless  you  often  involuntarily  remember 
him ;  but  do  you  voluntarily,  and  of  choice,  remem- 
ber him  ?  Do  you  ever,  by  an  exercise  of  volition, 
recall  the  memory  of  him?  He  is  sometimes  in- 
truded into  the  society  of  your  thoughts,  but  do  you 
ever  invite  him  there  ?  Do  you  ever  say,  "  Come, 
now,  let  me  think  of  Christ?"  I  doubt  not  you  do 
this  also.  You  voluntarily  remember — you  call  to 
mind  his  incarnation,  his  miracles  of  mercy,  his 
doctrine,  his  example,  his  resurrection ;  but  do  you 
particularly  remember  his  death?  His  death  was 
the  main  circumstance  in  his  history.  Do  your 
thoughts,  passing  from  the  manger  along  the  track 
of  his  sorrowful  story,  fasten  on  the  cross  ? 

May  I  ask,  moreover,  iviili  ivliat  you  remember 
him  ?  Whether  it  is  a  mere  intellectual  operation, 
or  one  in  which  the  heart  is  conjoined?  There  are 
recollections  which  pass  across  the  mind  without 
ever  stirring  the  most  easily  excited  emotions  of  the 
heart.  Is  your  recollection  of  Christ  of  this  kind ; 
or  do  you  fed  while  you  think  of  him?  Do  your 
affections  move  in  the  line  of  your  thoughts,  and 
collect  about  the  same  centre  ?  Jesus  ought  to  bo 


DO  YOU  REMEMBER  CHRIST?  45 

remembered  with  the  heart.  We  should  ftel  when 
we  think  of  him.  You  say,  perhaps,  "  I  do  not  only 
mentally,  but  cordially  remember  Christ."  But  do 
you  remember  him  practically  ?  Do  you  do  any 
thing  in  remembrance  of  him  ?  It  is  customary  not 
only  to  remember,  but  to  commemorate  great  bene- 
factors ;  and  that  not  merely  by  speaking  of  their 
benevolent  exploits,  but  by  some  appropriate  acts. 
Do  you  this  with  respect  to  Christ,  that  greatest, 
best  of  benefactors  ? 

Perhaps  you  answer,  "I  do  many  things  out  of 
regard  to  the  memory  of  Christ.  His  precepts  gen- 
erally I  endeavor  to  obey."  That  is  all  very  well ; 
but  do  you  that  which  he  appointed,  or  requested 
to  be  done  in  remembrance  of  him,  on  that  "  same 
night  in  which  he  was  betrayed?"  Some  do  not. 
Even  some  who  profess  respect,  and  indeed  love  for 
Christ,  do  not.  It  is  strange,  but  so  it  is.  They 
remember  Christ  m  their  own  way,  but  not  in  his 
way.  They  do  some  things  in  remembrance  of  him, 
but  not  that  which  he  said  "do."  I  wonder  they 
do  not  adopt  his  way.  I  cannot  help  suspecting 
their  love  when  I  see  they  do  not.  It  always  ap- 
peared to  me  that  such  a  benefactor  as  Christ 
ought  to  be  remembered  in  his  own  way — that  ho 
deserved  to  have  the  privilege  of  saying  how  he 
would  be  remembered ;  and  that  sinners,  whom  he 
died  to  save,  should  remember  him  in  that  way, 
even  though  it  should  not  seem  to  them  the  most 


46  PRACTICAL   THOUGHTS. 

appropriate  and  reasonable  manner  of  commemo- 
rating him.  I  do  not  know  how  it  strikes  others, 
but  so  it  always  struck  me ;  and  I  confess  I  take 
the  bread  and  eat  it,  and  I  put  the  cup  to  my  lips, 
primarily,  because  he  said,  "Do  this." 

The  question  about  the  usefulness  of  visible  me- 
morials, and  the  suitableness  of  these  memorials,  I 
am  content  that  he  should  settle.  I  know  very 
well  that  if  there  be  no  natural  adaptation  in  these 
memorials  to  do  me  good,  he  can  connect  a  blessing 
with  them.  It  is  my  part  to  obey  him.  It  is  enough 
for  me  that  my  Saviour  inclines  to  this  mode  of 
being  remembered,  and  expressed  such  a  wish  :  the 
least  I  can  do  is  to  comply  with  it.  He  did  not  ex- 
press a  great  many  wishes.  It  is  an  easy  yoke  he 
calls  us  to  take — a  light  burden  to  bear.  I  cannot 
help  regarding  it  as  unkind,  that  this  one  wish  of 
Jesus  should  not  be  complied  with ;  and  especially 
when  I  consider  what  a  friend  he  was — what  a 
benefactor.  I  use  the  word  benefactor,  but  those 
who  are  acquainted  with  the  etymology  of  the  word, 
know  it  does  not  express  all  that  Christ  was.  It 
implies  doing  out  of  good  will  to  others ;  but  his 
benevolence  was  not  satisfied  with  benefaction  :  he 
suffered — he  died  for  others.  Strong  as  death — 
stronger  than  death  was  his  love.  And  consider, 
too,  the  circumstances  under  which  this  wish  was 
expressed — ivhcn  it  was,  and  u-liere.  All  his  wishes, 
I  think,  should  be  complied  with ;  but  this  was  his 


DO  YOU  REMEMBER  CHRIST?  47 

last.  He  was  going  to  suffer — he  was  to  die  in  a 
few  hours :  and  such  a  death,  too  !  and  for  them  of 
whom  he  made  the  request,  that  they  might  die 
never.  And  the  request  was  touching  his  death. 
He  desired  it  might  he  commemorated  as  he  signi- 
fied. Oh,  to  think  that  such  a  wish  should  not  bo 
complied  with — the  tender  request  of  the  dying 
Redeemer  not  regarded !  Who  would  have  be- 
lieved it  ?  I  wonder  those  words,  "  This  is  my 
body,  broken  for  you,"  do  not  break  the  heart  of 
every  one  who  refuses. 

Men  treat  no  other  heing  so.  Out  of  their  own 
mouths  I  will  judge  them.  They  know  the  sacred 
regard  they  pay  to  last  wishes  and  dying  injunc- 
tions ;  and  that,  though  they  are  under  no  particu- 
lar obligations  to  the  persons  expressing  them,  and 
though  the  things  desired  be  often  unreasonable, 
yet, -because  they  are  last  wishes,  dying  requests, 
the  individuals  expressing  them  being  about  to 
make  the  awful  transition  to  eternity,  how  solemn- 
ly they  charge  the  memory  with  them — how  punc- 
tiliously they  comply  with  them  !  "We  feel  as  if 
persons  in  such  circumstances  had  a  right  to  com- 
mand us.  I  never  knew  one  such  request,  if  it  was 
practicable,  and  at  all  reasonable,  that  was  not 
complied  with.  I  ought  to  say,  I  never  knew  but 
one.  The  last  request  of  Jesus  Christ — his  last 
solemn  injunction  on  those  whom  he  bled  to  save, 
forms  the  solitary  exception.  Oh,  it  is  too  bad ! 


48  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

It  were  a  neglect  unpardonable,  but  for  the  media- 
tion of  the  very  being  who  is  the  object  of  it.  Noth- 
ing but  his  blood  can  cleanse  from  the  sin  of  putting 
away  from  us  the  offered  emblem  of  it.  I  know 
not  how  to  make  any  apology  for  it.  Jesus  pleaded 
for  his  murderers,  that  they  knew  not  what  they 
did;  but  those  who  disregard  his  dying  injunction, 
know  what  they  do. 

Excuses,  it  is  true,  they  make ;  but  to  what  do 
they  amount?  Can  any  doubt  that  Christ  said, 
"Do  this  ?"  Can  any  doubt  that  he  meant  it  to  bo 
done  by  all  who  believe  on  him  ?  What  reason  can. 
be  imagined  why  one  redeemed  sinner  should  par- 
take of  the  emblems  of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ, 
which  does  not  equally  apply  to  every  redeemed 
sinner  ?  Should  not  as  many  as  the  body  was  bro- 
ken and  the  blood  shed  for,  partake  of  the  memo- 
rials of  that  transaction  ?  What  propriety  is  there 
in  limiting  the  command,  "Do  this,"  and  not  the 
declaration,  "This  is  my  body,  broken  for  you?" 
If  we  put  it  on  the  ground  of  right  to  command, 
questions  any  one  the  right  of  Christ  to  issue  man- 
dates ?  What  duty  plainer — more  peremptory  ?  Do 
some  pay  respect  to  this,  who  do  not  obey  other 
commands  of  Christ  ?  What  if  it  be  so  ?  Is  that  a 
reason  why  you  should  add  another  to  your  acts  of 
disobedience  ? 

Do  you  refrain  because  it  is  a  solemn  transac- 
tion? Far  more  solemn  are  death,  judgment;  and 


DO  YOU  RKMEMBER  CHRIST?  49 

eternity,  from  which,  nevertheless,  you  cannot  re- 
frain. Do  you  feel  yourself  to  be  too  unworthy? 
But  will  this  neglect  make  you  less  unworthy?  A 
sense  of  unworthiness  is  a  grand  part  of  the  quali- 
fication. Are  you  afraid  of  sinning,  should  you  in 
this  way  remember  Christ?  But  you  are  certain  of 
sinning  by  not  remembering  him.  Say  you,  "  I  can- 
not trust  myself?"  But  can  you  not  trust  Christ? 
If  there  is  danger  that  you  will  prove  faithless,  yet 
is  there  any  danger  that  he  will  ?  It  is  because  you 
are  not  to  be  trusted,  that  you  should  trust  him  who 
is  able  to  keep  that  which  is  committed  to  him.  If 
you  trust  him  for  strength,  you  are  as  sure  of  being 
supplied  as  of  being  pardoned,  if  you  trust  him  for 
that.  \Yhy  should  not  you  remember  Christ?  He 
remembers  you,  yes,  practically  remembers  you; 
nor  one  thing  merely  does  in  remembrance  of  you, 
but  many.  What  if  he  should  make  excuses  for 
not  remembering  you? 

But  perhaps  you  will  cut  short  the  interview  by 
saying,  "  I  am  now  quite  unprepared  for  this  act ; 
hereafter,  I  mean  to  attend  to  it."  Be  it  known  to 
you,  then,  that  there  are  greater  things  for  which 
you  are  unprepared,  and  they  are  things  which  you 
cannot  evade  or  defer,  as  you  can  this ;  and  as  to  that 
hereafter  on  which  you  count,  who  art  thou  that 
boastest  of  to-morrow  ? 


Pno   Thought*. 


50  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

8.    I  DON'T  LIKE  PROFESSIONS. 

This  is  the  reason  which  many  give  for  not  ac- 
knowledging Christ.  They  say,  when  urged  upon 
the  point,  that  they  "don't  like  professions."  A 
strange  reason  this  for  not  obeying  the  express  com- 
mand of  the  divine  Saviour.  What  if  they  do  not 
like  professions,  do  they  equally  dislike  obeying 
commands?  If  so,  they  had  better  say,  "I  don't 
like  obedience  to  the  commands  of  God."  But  they 
profess  to  be  well  disposed  to  obey ;  it  is  only  to  pro- 
fessing that  they  object.  Well,  then,  let  them  obey 
all  the  precepts  which  they  find  in  the  Bible,  and 
we  will  not  trouble  them  about  a  profession.  Why 
should  we  ?  In  that  case,  they  will  obey  the  pre- 
cept which  enjoins  a  profession;  they  will  do  the 
thing  appointed  in  remembrance  of  Christ. 

But  "  I  don't  like  professions."  And  who  does  like 
mere  professions  ?  Who  ever  contended  in  favor  of 
a  man's  professing  to  have  what  he  has  not ?  Pro- 
fessions are  very  different  from  mere  professions. 
Suppose  a  person  has  what  he  professes  to  have 
what  then?  What  is  the  objection  to  a  profession 
in  that  case?  I  see  none.  If  a  man  loves  the 
Lord  Jesus,  I  can  see  no  harm  in  professing  or 
declaring  his  attachment  to  him.  It  is  very  natu- 
ral to  declare  it.  We  profess  attachment  to  oth- 
ers— to  relatives,  friends,  benefactors,  pastors,  civil 
rulers — why  not  to  Christ?  How  does  his  being 


I  DON'T  LIKE  PROFESSIONS.  51 

the  subject  of  the  profession  constitute  such  an 
objection  to  it?  Is  he  the  only  being  to  whom  we 
may  not  profess  attachment? 

"Don't  like  professions?"  "Why,  yes,  they  do. 
Professions  of  friendship,  of  patriotism,  and  of  loy 
alty,  they  like.  Why  not  of  religion?  Why  should 
not  religion  be  professed  as  well  as  other  things?' 
Are  attachment  to  the  gospel,  love  to  Christ,  re- 
gard for  the  authority  of  Jehovah,  and  adherence 
to  his  government,  the  only  things  never  to  be 
professed  ? 

I  do  not  see  any  objection  to  professions,  but  I  see 
propriety  and  utility  in  them,  even  if  it  were  optional 
with  us  to  make  them  or  not.  If  it  were  left  to  our 
choice,  it  strikes  me  we  ought  to  choose  to  profess 
love  and  obedience  to  Christ.  But  suppose  it  ia 
required,  does  not  that  alter  the  case  ?  Will  these 
persons  say  they  do  not  like  what  God  requires? 
And  does  he  not  require  a  profession  ?  His  inspired 
apostle  twice  exhorts  Christians  to  hold  fast  their 
profession.  Does  not  that  imply  that  it  is  made, 
and  ought  to  be  made  ?  How  is  a  person  to  hold  on 
to  that  of  which  he  has  never  taken  hold  ?  Is  not 
the  public  confession  of  Christ  required  when  it  is 
made  a  condition  of  salvation  ?  "  If  thou  shalt  confess 
with  thy  mouth  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  shalt  believe 
in  thine  heart  that  God  hath  raised  him  from  the 
dead,  thou  shalt  be  saved."  Horn.  10:9.  Does  not 
divine  authority  require  it,  when  to  the  doing  of  it 


52  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

is  made  one  of  the  most  precious  promises  in  the 
whole  Bible?  "Whosoever  therefore  shall  confess 
me  before  men,  him  will  I  confess  also  before  my 
Father  which  is  in  heaven."  Is  not  that  duty, 
against  the  omission  of  which  such  a  threatening 
lies  as  this:  "But  whosover  shall  deny  me  before 
men,  him  will  I  also  deny  before  my  Father  which 
is  in  heaven?"  Matt.  10:32,  33.  It  is  very  plain 
that  God  requires  professions,  though  some  men  do 
not  like  them. 

"You  don't  like  professions."  Then  Joshua,  a 
man  that  followed  the  Lord  fully,  falls  under  your 
censure,  for  he  professed  the  service  of  God.  "As 
for  me  and  my  house,"  said  he,  "we  will  serve  the 
Lord."  Arc  we  to  think  the  worse  of  him  for  this? 
Some  ask  what  is  the  use  of  a  profession.  If  they 
will  observe  what  followed  Joshua's  profession,  they 
will  see  the  use  of  it.  They  will  see  that  it  brought 
out  all  Israel.  "We  will  also  serve  the  Lord,"  said 
they ;  and  they  entered  that  day  into  a  covenant  to 
serve  him.  Nor  did  their  practice  belie  their  pro- 
fession; for  it  is  recorded  that  "Israel  served  the 
Lord  all  the  days  of  Joshua,  and  all  the  days  of 
the  elders  that  overlived  Joshua."  So  much  for  a 
profession.  It  is  agreed  on  all  hands  that  that  pro- 
fessing generation,  in  piety  and  devotion  to  God, 
surpassed  any  other  during  the  national  existence 
of  Israel. 

We  read  in  1  Tim.  2 : 10,  of  certain  things  which 


I  DOX'T  LIKE  PROFESSIONS.  53 

are  said  to  become  "women  professing  godliness." 
It  would  seem  from  this,  to  be  the  duty  of  women 
to  profess  godliness.  And  if  of  women,  of  men  also, 
I  suppose.  What  case  of  real  subjection  to  the  gos- 
pel of  Christ  do  we  read  of,  which  was  not  also  a 
case  of  "  professed  subjection  "  to  it  ?  Paul,  in  2  Cor. 
9:13,  speaks  of  some  who  glorified  God  for  the 
"professed  subjection"  of  others  unto  the  gospel  of 
Christ.  It  appears  then  that  God  is  glorified  by 
these  professions.  And  I  should  presume,  from  cer- 
tain passages  in  the  Bible,  that  he  is  not  glorified 
when  a  profession  is  withheld.  There  were,  in 
primitive  times,  some  who  did  not  like  professions. 
It  is  no  new  thing  not  to  like  professions.  In  John 
12:42,  43,  we  read,  that  "among  the  chief  rulers 
many  believed  on  him,  but,"  as  they  did  not  like 
professions,  "because  of  the  Pharisees  they  did  not 
confess  him ;  for  they  loved  the  praise  of  men  more 
than  the  praise  of  God."  It  is  no  honorable  men- 
tion which  is  intended  to  be  made  of  another,  of 
whom  it  is  said  that  he  was  "a  disciple  of  Jesus, 
but  secretly,  for  fear  of  the  Jews."  John  19:38. 
Fear  made  him  decline  a  profession  for  a  time  ;  but 
at  length  he  came  out  openly  on  the  side  of  Christ, 
and  besought  Pilate  for  the  body  of  Jesus. 

If  they  who  say  they  do  not  like  professions,  mean 
that  they  do  not  like  false,  or  loud,  or  ostentatious, 
or  barely  verbal  professions,  let  them  say  so,  and 
we  will  agree  with  them ;  but  let  them  not  mean 


54  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

this,  and  say,  without  qualification,  they  "don't  like 
professions." 

It  is  truly  strange,  because  some  now,  as  in  apos- 
tolic times,  "profess  that  they  know  God,  but  in 
works  deny  him,"  that  others  will  never  profess  to 
know  him.  Because  men  have  professed  friendship, 
and  have  proved  no  friends,  therefore  they  will  not 
only  not  profess  friendship,  but  they  will  abstain 
from  certain  acts  and  expressions  of  friendship, 
because  they  involve  a  profession  of  it.  It  is  a  pity 
that  men  who  are  going  to  give  an  account  of  them- 
selves to  God,  should  reason  and  act  thus. 

Well,  they  must  do  as  they  please ;  but  of  one 
thing  I  am  sure.  The  hour  is  coming  when,  how- 
ever they  may  now  dislike  professions,  they  will  like 
them.  They  may  not  now  like  to  confess  Christ 
before  men,  but  they  will  then  like  to  have  Christ 
confess  them  before  his  Father.  They  may  not  like  , 
to  call  hirn  now  the  beloved  of  their  souls,  but  they 
will  like  to  have  him  call  them,  on  that  day,  the 
blessed  of  his  Father 


SABBATH-SCHOOL  TEACHER.  55 

9.   ARE  YOU  A  SABBATH-SCHOOL  TEACHER  ? 

I  am  a  little  apprehensive  that  the  title  of  this 
article  will  be  read  by  some  who  will  give  no  hear- 
ing to  the  article  itself.  There  are  those  who,  being 
professors  of  religion,  or  at  least  well  disposed  there- 
to, are  not  Sabbath-school  teachers,  and  yet  strongly 
suspect  sometimes  that  they  ought  to  be.  Such  are 
not  fond  of  reading  an  enumeration  of  the  reasons 
why  they  should  engage  in  this  benevolent  employ- 
ment, because  these  reasons  are  apt  to  appear  more 
cogent  than  their  objections  to  it.  After  such  a 
perusal,  they  are  very  prone  to  feel  as  if  they  ought 
to  take  hold  of  this  good  work ;  and  not  being  pre- 
pared to  do  that,  it  is  rather  more  agreeable  to  them 
not  to  have  the  feeling  that  they  ought.  It  is  un- 
comfortable to  carry  about  with  one  a  sense  of  obli- 
gation which  he  is  not  disposed  to  discharge. 

But  I  hope  my  apprehensions  will  be  disappoint- 
ed; so  I  proceed  to  the  article.  Are  you  a  Sabbath- 
school  teacher?  If  you  are,  you  are  engaged  in  a 
good  work.  Yes,  it  is  good,  both  as  acceptable  to 
God,  and  as  profitable  to  men.  It  is  good  in  its 
direct  operation,  and  good  in  its  reflex  action.  It  is 
not  merely  teaching  the  young  idea  how  to  shoot, 
but  what  is  still  more  important,  it  is  teaching  the 
young  and  tender  affection  what  to  fix  upon,  and 
where  to  entwine  itself.  Nothing  hallows  the  Sab- 
bath more  than  the  benevolent  employment  of  the 


56  PRACTICAL   THOUGHTS. 

Sabbath-school  teacher.  It  is  more  than  lawful  to 
do  such  good  on  the  Sabbath-day.  It  has  great 
reward.  Continue  to  be  a  Sabbath-school  teacher. 
Be  not  weary  in  this  well-doing.  Do  not  think  you 
have  served  long  enough  in  the  capacity  of  teacher, 
until  you  have  served  life  out,  or  until  there  shall 
be  no  need  of  one  saying  to  another,  "Know  the 
Lord."  What  if  it  be  laborious?  It  is  the  labor 
of  love,  in  the  very  fatigue  of  which  the  soul  finds 
refreshment. 

But  perhaps  you  are  not  a  Sabbath-school  teacher. 
"No,  I  am  not,"  methinks  I  hear  one  say.  "I  am 
not  a  professor  of  religion.  You  cannot  expect  me 
to  be  a  teacher."  You  ought  to  be  both ;  and  your 
not  being  the  first,  is  but  a  poor  apology  for  declin- 
ing to  be  the  other.  The  neglect  of  one  obligation 
is  a  slim  excuse  for  the  neglect  of  another.  You 
seem  to  admit,  that  if  you  professed  religion,  it 
would  be  your  duty  to  teach  in  the  Sabbath-school. 
Now,  whose  fault  is  it  that  you  do  not  profess  relig- 
ion? But  I  see  no  valid  objection  to  your  teaching 
a  class  of  boys  or  girls  how  to  read  the  word  of  God, 
though  you  be  not  a  professor  of  religion.  I  can- 
not think  that  any  person  gets  harm  by  thus  doing 
good.  Experience  has  shown  that  the  business  of 
teaching  in  the  Sabbath-school  is  twice  blessed — 
blessing  the  teacher  as  well  as  the  taught. 

But  you  are  "not  good  enough,"  you  say.  Then 
you  need  so  much  the  more  the  reaction  of  such  an 


SABBATH-SCHOOL  TEACHER.  57 

occupation  to  make  you  better.  The  way  to  get 
good,  is  to  do  it.  "But  I  am  not  a  young  person." 
And  what  if  you  are  not?  You  need  not  be  very 
young,  in  order  to  be  a  useful  Sabbath-school  teach 
er.  We  don't  want  mere  novices  in  the  Sabbath 
school.  If  you  are  not  young,  then  you  have  so 
much  more  experience  to  assist  you  in  the  work. 
Do  Sabbath-school  teachers  become  superannuated 
so  much  earlier  in  life  than  any  other  class  of  ben- 
efactors— so  much  sooner  than  ministers  and  par- 
ents ?  There  is  a  prevailing  mistake  on  this  subject. 
But  you  are  married,  you  say.  And  what  if  you 
are  ?  Because  you  have  married  a  wife  or  a  hus- 
band, is  that  any  reason  why  you  should  not  come 
into  the  Sabbath-school  ?  Many  people  think  that 
as  soon  as  they  are  married,  they  are  released  from 
the  obligation  of  assisting  in  the  Sabbath-school. 
But  I  do  not  understand  this  to  be  one  of  the  immu 
nities  of  matrimony.  As  well  might  they  plead  that 
in  discharge  of  the  obligation  to  every  species  of 
good-doing.  Such  might  at  least  postpone  this 
apology,  till  the  cares  of  a  family  have  come  upon 
them.  And  even  then,  perhaps  the  best  disposition 
they  could  make  of  their  children  on  the  Sabbath, 
would  be  to  take  them  to  the  school.  I  wonder 
how  many  hours  of  the  Sabbath  are  devoted  to  the 
instruction  of  their  children,  by  those  parents  who 
make  the  necessity  of  attending  to  the  religious 
culture  of  their  families  an  apology  for  not  entering 


58  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

the  Sabbath-school ;  and  I  wonder  if  their  children 
could  not  be  attended  to  in  other  hours  than  those 
usually  occupied  in  Sabbath-school  instruction ;  and 
thus,  while  they  are  not  neglected,  other  children 
who  have  no  parents  that  care  for  their  soul,  receive 
a  portion  of  their  attention.  I  think  this  not  impos- 
sible. But  perhaps  the  wife  pleads  that  she  is  no 
longer  her  own,  and  that  her  husband's  wishes  are 
opposed  to  her  continuing  a  teacher.  But  has  she 
ceased  to  be  her  Lord's  by  becoming  her  husband's? 
Does  the  husband  step  into  all  the  rights  of  a  Sav- 
iour over  his  redeemed?  If  such  an  objection  is 
made,  it  is  very  clear  that  she  has  not  regarded  the 
direction  to  marry  "only  in  the  Lord." 

But  perhaps  you  say,  "  There  are  enough  others 
to  teach  in  the  Sabbath-school."  There  would  not 
be  enough — there  would  not  be  any,  if  all  were  like 
you.  But  it  is  a  mistake;  there  are  not  enough 
others.  You  are  wanted.  Some  five  or  six  children, 
of  whom  Christ  has  said,  "Suffer  them  to  come  to 
me,"  will  grow  up  without  either  learning  or  relig- 
ion, unless  you  become  a  teacher.  Are  all  the 
children  in  the  place  where  you  live  gathered  into 
the  Sabbath-school  ?  Are  there  none  that  still  wan- 
der on  the  Lord's  day,  illiterate  and  irreligious  ?  Is 
there  a  competent  number  of  teachers  in  the  exist- 
ing schools,  so  that  more  would  rather  be  in  the  way 
than  otherwise  ?  I  do  not  know  how  it  is  where 
you  live,  but  where  I  live,  there  are  boys  and  girls 


SABBATH-SCHOOL  TEACHER.  59 

enough,  aye,  too  many,  who  go  to  no  Sabbath-school. 
It  is  only  for  a  teacher  to  go  out  on  the  Sabbath, 
and  he  readily  collects  a  class  of  children  willing 
to  attend  ;  and  where  I  reside,  there  are  not  teach- 
ers enough  for  the  scholars  already  collected.  Some 
classes  are  without  a  teacher;  and  presently  the 
children  stay  away,  because,  they  say,  they  come  to 
the  school,  and  there  is  no  one  to  attend  to  them. 
He  who  said,  "Suffer  the  little  children  to  come 
unto  me,  and  forbid  them  not,"  knows  this  ;  and  he 
knows  who  of  "his  sacramental  host"  might  take 
charge  of  these  children,  and  do  not.  They  say, 
every  communion-season,  "  Lord,  what  wilt  thou 
have  me  to  do?"  and  the  Lord  replies,  "Suffer  the 
little  children  to  come  unto  me;"  and  there  the 
matter  ends. 

I  visited  recently  an  interesting  school,  composed 
of  colored  adults  and  children.  It  is  taught  partly 
by  white  persons,  and  partly  by  intelligent  colored 
persons.  It  is  languishing  now  for  want  of  teach- 
ers. There  were  present  some  twenty-five  or  thirty 
females,  and  only  two  female  teachers.  I  wondered 
to  see  no  more  than  two  there,  of  those  who  were  last 
at  the  cross  and  first  at  the  sepulchre.  I  thought  it 
a  little  out  of  character.  One  of  these  told  mo  that 
often  there  had  been  forty  present ;  but  as  two  could 
not  attend  to  them  all,  they  had  gradually  become 
discouraged,  and  had  dropped  off*  one  after  another. 
They  found  they  must  give  up  learning  to  read, 


60  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

though  they  wanted  very  much  to  learn  to  read  the 
Bible.  Some  large  classes  of  fine-looking  boys  sat 
there  without  any  teacher.  No  man  cared  for  them. 
I  said  it  was  a  pity,  but  I  thought  it  was  a  shame\ 
The  church  with  which  this  school  is  connected, 
abounds  in  able-bodied  professors  of  religion,  who 
could  easily  supply  this  want.  But  they  don't  do  it. 
They  say  they  can't;  but  the  truth  is,  they  wont. 
I  know  some  have  an  antipathy  to  the  colored  ;  but 
as  I  suppose  they  are  comprehended  in  that  "world  " 
of  which  we  read,  John  3  :  16,  that  God  loved  it, 
and  certainly  in  that  "whole  world,"  of  which  we 
read,  1  John,  2:2,  as  connected  with  Christ's  pro- 
pitiation, I  have  none.  As  for  those,  however,  who 
are  so  much  more  fastidious  than  their  Lord,  there 
are  white  children  enough  to  employ  them. 

But  I  hear  one  say,  "  I  ivas  once  a  teacher;"  and 
do  you  not  blush  to  own  that  you  became  weary  in 
this  species  of  well-doing?  "But  I  think  I  taught 
long  enough."  How  long  did  you  teach?  Till 
there  were  no  more  to  learn  ?  Till  you  could  teach 
no  longer?  Are  you  dead?  If  not,  you  are  resting 
from  your  labors  rather  prematurely.  This  excuse 
resembles  one  which  I  heard  of,  as  from  a  lady  of 
wealth,  who  having  for  several  years  been  a  sub- 
scriber to  the  Bible  Society,  at  length  ordered  her 
name  to  be  stricken  off,  alleging  that  she  thought 
she  had  done  her  part  towards  disseminating  the 
Bible.  The  world  was  not  supplied ;  0  no,  not 


SABBATH-SCHOOL  TEACHER.  61 

even  the  country;  and  her  means  were  not  ex- 
hausted. But  she  had  done  her  part.  Had  she 
done  u-Jiat  slie  could  J  The  woman  whom  Jesus 
commended  had  "done  what  she  could."  But  this 
is  a  digression. 

But  one  says,  "I  want  the  Sabbath  for  myself; 
for  rest  and  for  improvement."  And  who  does  not  ? 
Are  you  busily  employed  all  the  week?  So  are 
some  of  our  most  faithful  teachers.  You  ought  to 
be  "diligent  in  business"  during  the  days  of  the 
week.  "  Six  days  shalt  thou  labor."  "Butisthero 
any  rest  in  Sabbath-school  teaching  ?"  The  soul 
finds  some  of  its  sweetest  rest  in  the  works  of  mercy, 
and  often  its  richest  improvement  in  the  care  to 
improve  others. 

But  perhaps  you  say,  though  with  some  diffi- 
dence you  express  this  objection,  that  you  belong 
to  a  circle  in  society  whose  members  are  not  accus- 
tomed to  teach  in  the  Sabbath-school.  Do  you  mean, 
that  you  are  above  the  business  ?  You  must  be  ex- 
ceedingly elevated  in  life  to  be  above  the  business  of 
gratuitously  communicating  the  knowledge  of  God 
to  the  young  and  ignorant.  You  must  be  exalted 
above  the  very  throne  of  God  itself,  if  you  are  above 
caring  for  poor  children.  "  But  I  should  have  to 
mingle  with  those  beneath  me  in  rank."  Ah,  I  sup- 
posed that  Christianity  has  destroyed  the  distinction 
of  rank,  not  indeed  by  depressing  any,  but  by  ele- 
vating all.  Should  Christians,  all  cleansed  by  the 


62  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

same  blood  and  Spirit,  treat  other  Christians   as 


common 


"  But  I  am  not  qualified  to  teach."  If  you  are 
not  in  reality,  you  should  undertake  teaching  for  the 
sake  of  learning.  The  best  way  to  learn  any  thing, 
is  to  teach  it.  If  you  only  think  yourself  not  qual 
ified,  your  very  humility  goes  far  towards  qualify- 
ing you. 

"0,  it  is  too  laborious.  There  is  so  much  self- 
denial  in  it."  And  do  I  hear  a  disciple  of  Christ 
complaining  of  labor  and  self-denial,  when  these 
are  among  the  very  conditions  of  discipleship  ?  Is 
the  disciple  above  his  master?  Can  you  follow 
Christ  without  going  where  he  went?  And  went 
he  not  about  doing  good  ?  Pleased  he  himself? 

Ah,  I  know  what  is  the  reason  of  this  deficiency, 
of  Sabbath-school  teachers,  and  I  will  speak  it  out. 
It  is  owing  to  a  deplorable  want  of  Christian  benev- 
olence in  them  who  profess  to  be  Christ's  followers. 
They  lack  the  love  that  is  necessary  to  engage  one 
in  this  labor  of  love.  They  have  no  heart  for  the 
work. 


THE  MONTHLY  CONCERT.  63 

10.   DO  YOU  ATTEND  THE  MONTHLY  CONCERT? 

I  would  like  to  have  this  piece  read,  though  I 
know  very  well  that  many  of  those  I  ask  to  read  it, 
could  themselves  write  a  better  article  on  the  same 
subject.  I  am  a  little  afraid  that  some  who  do  not 
attend  the  monthly  concert,  will  read  the  Jieading 
of  the  article  and  then  turn  to  something  else,  pre- 
sumed to  be  more  interesting.  As  that,  however, 
will  look  very  much  like  a  desire  to  evade  the  light, 
and  an  unwillingness  to  hear  why  we  should  attend 
the  concert,  I  hope  they  will,  through  dread  of  that 
imputation,  conclude  to  read  the  whole  article.  I 
cannot  doubt  they  have  their  reasons  for  not  attend- 
ing, and  I  promise  that  if  they  will  have  them 
printed,  I  will  carefully  read  them,  provided  they 
will  read  my  reasons  in  favor  of  attendance. 

I  put  a  question.  I  put  it  not  to  every  body.  I 
ask  it  not  of  the  world,  for  the  world  is  the  object 
of  the  concert,  and  cannot  be  expected  therefore  to 
join  in  it.  I  put  it  to  the  professor  of  religion — the 
reputed  disciple  of  Christ.  I  ask  him  if  he  attends 
the  monthly  concert  ?  He  knows  what  I  mean  by 
that  phrase — the  meeting  for  prayer  attended  by 
Christians  on  the  first  Monday  in  each  month,  in 
which  they  offer  their  social  supplications  for  the 
success  of  missions,  the  spread  of  the  gospel,  and 
the  conversion  of  the  world  to  God.  AIL  the  mem- 
bers of  the  church  do  not  attend  it.  The  half  do 


64  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

not.  JN"o ;  the  concert  has  not  yet  secured  the  ma- 
jority of  the  church.  Even  "  the  sacramental  host " 
are  not  as  yet  in  favor  of  the  conversion  of  the 
world,  if  attendance  on  the  monthly  concert  may 
be  made  the  test,  as  I  think  with  the  utmost  pro- 
priety it  may  ;  for  surely  he  cannot  have  much  of  a 
desire  for  the  world's  conversion  who  will  not  meet 
once  a  month  to  express  it  in  concert  with  other 
Christians.  And  this,  I  suppose,  is  the  principal 
reason  why  the  world  is  not  converted,  because  the 
prayer-meetings  of  the  church  hear  testimony  that 
even  she  is  not  heartily  in  favor  of  it.  0  when  will 
the  question,  "  Shall  the  world  be  converted  ?"  be 
put  to  the  church,  and  carried  in  the  affirmative  ? 
There  will  be  joy  in  heaven  when  that  result  is 
reported  there  ;  and  then  the  work  of  the  world's 
conversion  will  go  rapidly  forward,  and  nations  be 
born  in  a  day.  Now,  do  you  join  in  the  concert,  or 
are  you  one  of  those  who  make  discord  ? 

Many  professors  can  say  they  do  attend.  I  am 
glad  so  many  can  say  it.  You  attend,  but  let  me 
ask,  do  you  love  to  attend  ?  0,  if  you  leave  your 
Jicarts  at  home,  that  is  bad.  We  want  the  heart  at 
the  monthly  concert.  It  spoils  all,  if  we  have  not 
the  heart  there  to  send  up  to  heaven  its  sincere  de- 
sires. "  Prayer,"  you  know,  "  is  the  heart's  sincere 
desire."  You  attend,  but  do  you  attend  luibitually, 
or  is  it  only  occasionally  that  you  go  ?  Dp  you  at- 
tend twelve  times  a  year,  if  Providence  interpose  no 


THE  MONTHLY  CONCERT.  65 

obstacle  ?  It  is  a  montltly  concert.  It  is  intended 
that  Christians  should  meet  and  pray  together  at 
least  once  a  month.  There  are  professors  of  relig- 
ion who  attend  the  concert  sometimes,  perhaps  on 
an  average  once  in  three  months,  and  they  think 
that  is  doing  tolerably  well.  But  what  if  others 
should  do  so.  Then  it  would  be  no  monthly  con- 
cert, but  a  quarterly  concert ;  and  such  it  should  be 
now  to  suit  the  practice  of  too  many  of  the  church. 
But  I  think  once  a  month,  or  twelve  times  a  year,  is 
not  too  often  for  Christians  to  meet  together  to  pray, 
"  Our  Father — thy  kingdom  come."  As  a  Chris- 
tian, I  feel  that  it  is  not  too  often,  and  I  think,  if  I 
was  a  heathen,  and  knew  all  that  is  involved  in 
being  a  heathen,  I  should  feel  like  being  prayed  for 
by  Christians  at  least  once  a  month.  0,  it  is  not 
too  often,  either  for  us  who  pray,  or  for  those  for 
whom  we  pray.  Then,  fellow-Christians,  let  us 
attend  every  month,  bringing  along  with  us  each 
one  a  heart  touched  with  gratitude,  melted  into  pity, 
fervent  with  love,  full  of  faith,  and  as  sure  as  we 
live,  we  shall  bless  and  be  blessed. 

"But  they  say  it  is  not  an  interesting  meeting." 
I  don't  know  why  it  should  be  uninteresting  to 
Christians.  Is  it  because  it  is  a  prayer-meeting ; 
or  because  it  is  a  prayer-meeting  for  others?  Does 
it  lack  interest  because  there  is  no  preaching,  and 
the  very  prayers  are  not  for  ourselves  ?  Will  the 
disciple  of  Jesus  make  this  confession  ?  Will  h« 

Pnc.  Thon  jlits.  5 


66  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

acknowledge  that  it  takes  away  the  interest  of  a 
meeting,  when  its  character  is  so  devotional,  and  its 
ohject  so  benevolent  ?  It  has  been  asked,  "  How  shall 
we  contrive  to  make  the  monthly  concert  interesting 
to  the  people?"  It  is  only  the  people  themselves 
that  can  make  it  interesting.  Let  them  come  to  it. 
Let  the  members  of  the  church  appear  in  their 
places  on  that  evening.  Let  conscience  bring  them, 
if  inclination  does  not ;  and  let  him  who  is  to  pre- 
side in  the  meeting  be  cheered  by  the  aspect  of  a 
full  assembly,  and  the  interest  of  the  monthly  -con- 
cert is  secured  without  the  laying  down  of  rules  and 
observance  of  minute  directions.  Who  ever  found 
a  well  attended  concert  for  prayer  uninteresting  ? 

But  one  says,  It  sometimes  rains,  and  I  cannot  at- 
tend. I  know  it  sometimes  rains  ;%but  do  you  never 
go  out  in  the  rain  for  any  purpose  ?  0,  Christian, 
if  for  any  thing  you  ever  go  through  the  rain,  go 
through  the  rain  to  the  monthly  concert.  I  sus- 
pect the  rain  does  not  hinder  you  from  fulfilling  an 
important  engagement  with  a  fellow-creature.  Now 
I  know  that  you  have  not  specifically  engaged  to 
meet  God  at  the  monthly  concert ;  but  there  are 
vows  on  you  which,  I  am  sure,  include  this.  Are 
you  not  one  of  those  who  say,  "  Lord,  what  wilt  thou 
have  me  to  do?"  waiting  for  his  answer?  His  an- 
swer comprehends  many  things,  and  among  them 
is  this.  Indeed,  I  think  the  duty  of  attending  the 
monthly  concert  is  included  in  the  general  obliga- 


THE  MONTHLY  CONCERT.  67 

tion  to  go  "into  all  the  world"  and  "teach  all  na- 
tions ;"  and  you  consented  to  it  when  you  made  the 
full  surrender.  Therefore  let  not  trifles  detain  you 
at  home  on  the  evening  of  the  church's  concert  of 
prayer  for  the  world.  But  if  by  necessity  detained — 
if  you  go  not,  because  on  such  a  night  you  would 
go  out  for  no  purpose  whatever,  you  can  spend  the 
hour  in  the  closet  praying  for  the  world.  That  you 
will  not  fail  to  do.  The  closet  is  accessible  in  all 
weather.  If  you  cannot  go  out  to  the  prayer  meet- 
ing, yet  you  can  "enter  into  thy  closet,"  and  though 
your  prayer  will  be  a  solo,  it  will  be  as  grateful  to 
God  as  the  concert  of  others. 

But  some  professors  of  religion  never  attend  the 
monthly  concert.  What  I  propose  to  say  to  them, 
I  must  reserve  for  another  article. 


11.    WHY  ALL  CHRISTIANS  SHOULD  ATTEND  THE 
MONTHLY  CONCERT. 

It  is  a  fact  well  known  and  deeply  deplored,  that 
some  professors  of  religion  never  attend  the  monthly 
concert.  Perhaps  they  never  attend  any  of  the  pray- 
er-meetings of  the  church.  It  is  not  for  me  to  say 
that  such  persons  have  no  religion,  though  I  must 
go  so  far  as  to  say  that  I  do  not  see  how  they  can 
have  a'great  deal.  Nor  does  their  religion  appear 
to  be  of  the  kind  'contemplated  in  the  New  Testa- 


68  PRACTICAL   THOUGHTS. 

merit.  They  may  be  Christians,  but  I  am  certain 
they  are  not  primitive  Christians.  I  do  not,  for  my 
part,  see  how  those  who  never  met  with  their  fel- 
low disciples  for  social  prayer,  can  be  acquitted  of 
contemning  that  gracious  promise  of  Christ,  "If  two 
of  you  shall  agree  on  earth  as  touching  any  thing 
that  they  shall  ask,  it  shall  be  done  for  them  of  my 
Father  which  is  in  heaven."  What  an  encourage- 
ment to  concerts  of  prayer  is  conveyed  in  those  words, 
"if  two  of  you  shall  agree!"  How  can  they  be 
supposed  to  love  the  presence  of  the  Saviour  who 
are  not  desirous  to  meet  him  "  where  two  or  three 
are  gathered  together  in  his  name  ?"  If  such  dis- 
ciples had  existed  at  that  time,  of  course  they  would 
not  have  attended  the  meetings  for  prayer  which 
preceded  the  memorable  day  of  Pentecost.  They 
would  not  have  gone  to  the  "  upper  room."  Perhaps 
they  would  have  made  some  excuse  for  their  absence  ; 
perhaps  not.  One  might  have  said  that  he  could 
not  bear  the  air  of  a  crowded  room.  Another,  that 
he  did  not  see  why  he  could  not  pray  as  well  at 
home.  There  were  no  such  despisers  of  the  prayer- 
meeting  among  the  primitive  disciples.  They  all 
frequented  the  upper  room,  "  and  all  continued  with 
one  accord  in  prayer  and  supplication."  0  that  it 
were  so  now  !  Fellow-disciples  of  the  blessed  Jesus, 
listen  td  a  few  plain  reasons  why  we  should  all  at- 
tend the  monthly  concert. 

1.  It  is  a  meeting  of  Christians.      Should  you 


THE  MONTHLY  CONCERT.  69 

not  meet  with  Christians?  God  has  made  you  so- 
cial beings ;  and  Christians  are  the  best  company. 
Should  you  not  cultivate  that  kind  of  society  on 
earth,  with  which  you  are  to  be  associated  for  ever 
in  heaven  ?  The  same  class  of  persons — they  that 
feared  the  Lord — used  to  meet  together  in  the  days 
of  Malachi ;  and  the  Lord  noted  it  down.  Come 
then  to  the  concert. 

2.  It  is  a  meeting  of  Christians  for  religious  wor- 
ship.   The  concert  is  a  sacred  assembly.    It  invites 
not  merely  to  mutual  intercourse,  but  to  intercourse 
with  God  arid  heaven.     In  it  we  meet  one  with 
another,  that  we  may  together  meet  the  Lord ;  and 
if  he  kept  a  book  of  remembrance  for  them  who 
feared  him,  and  who  met  for  conference  with  each 
other,  will  he  not  much  more  for  those  who  meet 
for  communion  with  himself? 

3.  It  is  the  most  interesting  kind  of  religious 
meeting.    It  is  a.  praycr-meeiing.    Its  exercises  con- 
sist in  prayer,  interspersed  with  praise.      The  song 
of  gratitude  and  the  supplication  of  blessing  ascend 
alternately.    0  it  is  good  to  be  there.    What  Chris- 
tian but  loves  the  prayer-meeting? 

4.  It  is  the  most  interesting  of  all  prayer-meetings. 
I  had  rather  be  absent  from  any  other  than  from  this. 
Think  how  large  a  concert  it  is — how  many  voices 
join  in  it,  and  hearts  still  more.     From  how  many 
lands — in  how  many  languages  they  pray  ;  yet  with 
one  desire,  and  for  a  single  object.     Think  of  that 


70  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

object — its  unity,  its  grandeur,  its  benevolence — a 
world  lying  in  wickedness — the  speedy  conversion 
of  that  world  to  God.  In  the  monthly  concert, 
Christians  meet  to  express  together  to  their  God 
this  one  great  benevolent  desire.  And  ought  not 
you  to  bo  there  ? 

But  what  gives  the  greatest  interest  to  the  concert 
is,  that  Christ  himself  in  substance  established  it. 
Yes,  he  has  taught  us  so  to  pray.  His  disciples 
asked  him  how  they  should  pray,  and  he  answered, 
that  they  should  pray  socially  for  the  conversion  of 
.the  world,  namely,  that  they  should  meet  under 
circumstances  which  would  justify  the  use  of  the 
plural  number,  "  Our  Father,"  etc. ;  and  thus  met, 
that  they  should  pray  together, "  Thy  kingdom  come. 
Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven."  Now, 
is  not  this  just  what  we  do  in  the  monthly  concert? 
We  put  in  practice  that  lesson  of  Christ  on  prayer. 
That  is  the  amount  of  it.  The  missionary  concert 
has  then  the  sanction  of  the  Master,  however  some 
of  his  professed  disciples  may  regard  it.  Is  it  so  ? 
Then  I  ask  not,  will  you  come  to  the  concert,  but 
how  can  you  stay  away  ? 

5.  It  is  good  to  draw  near  to  God  in  prayer  for  a 
guilty  and  dying  world.     Christians  find  it  so.     If 
they  benefit  no  others,  yet  they  benefit  themselves. 
God  bestows  blessing  on  them  while  they  implore 
blessing  for  others. 

6.  It  is  kind  to  the  poor  heathen  thus  to  meet  once 


THE  MONTHLY  CONCERT.  71 

a  month  and  pray  that  they  may  possess  the  same 
gospel  of  the  grace  of  God  which  has  brought 
salvation  to  us.  If  we  were  in  their  situation,  and 
knew  what  it  was  to  be  in  such  a  situation,  we 
should  wish  Christians  to  pray  for  us.  And  shall 
not  we,  being  Christians,  pray  for  them?  The 
golden  rule  requires  it.  The  love  of  Christ  con- 
strains to  it.  How  shall  we  not  pray  for  them? 
How  shall  I  be  able  to  answer  for  it,  I  say  not  to 
God,  but  to  my  poor  pagan  brother  that  I  shall  meet 
before  the  bar  of  our  common  Judge,  if  I  let  him  go 
into  eternity  without  even  praying  that  the  light  of 
the  gospel  may  illuminate  his  dark  mind?  How 
shall  I  be  able  to  bear  his  reproachful  recognition 
of  me  as  a  Christian?  I  will  take  care  not  to  lie 
under  the  accusation.  I  will  pray  for  him. 

7.  Nothing  so  cheers  the  hearts  of  our  missiona- 
ries, and  nothing  so  encourages  them  in  their  work, 
as  when  they  hear  of  well-attended  concerts.  So 
they  tell  us ;  and  they  write  back  that  nothing  they 
meet  with  on  the  field  of  their  labors  depresses  and 
discourages  them  so  much  as  the  intelligence  they  re- 
ceive from  home,  that  Christians  neglect  the  monthly 
concert,  and  few  of  the  churches  meet  to  pray  for 
them.  They  know  that  they  cannot  succeed  with- 
out God,  and  they  know  that  it  is  prayer  which 
engages  God  to  work  effectually  with  them.'  0,  if 
we  could  but  send  them  word  by  the  next  ships  that 
go,  that  Christians  in  crowds  come  up  to  the  mission- 


72  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS, 

ary  prayer-meeting,  and  the  place  of  the  monthly 
concert  is  thronged,  they  would  be  able,  I  have  no 
doubt,  to  send  us  word  back,  perhaps  by  those  very 
ships  returning,  that  the  heathen  in  crowds  gather 
around  them  inquiring  the  way  of  salvation,  and 
that  many  have  gone  even  unto  Christ,  and  become 
partakers  of  his  grace.  But  in  vain  shall  we  expect 
to  hear  very  cheering  intelligence  from  them,  while 
the  intelligence  they  receive  from  us  is  no  more 
cheering.  0  it  is  base  treatment  of  our  missionary 
brethren  and  sisters,  as  well  as  gross  dereliction  of 
the  duty  imposed  by  the  Saviour's  last  command, 
not  to  meet  and  pray  for  them. 

But  why  should  I  multiply  reasons?  Will  you 
not  attend  henceforth  ?  If,  after  all,  you  will  not,  I 
can  only  say,  I  am  sorry-^— sorry  on  two  accounts — 
sorry  for  the  heathen,  and  sorry  for  you. 


12.   WILL  ANY  CHRISTIAN  BE  ABSENT  FROM  THE 
NEXT  CONCERT  ? 

The  monthly  concert  of  prayer  for  the  success  of 
missions  and  the  salvation  of  the  world.  I  wonder, 
indeed,  that  any  Christian  is  ever  voluntarily  absent 
from  that  prayer-meeting ;  but  from  that  of  Monday 
next,  what  Christian  that  is  a  Christian  can  of 
choice  absent  himself?  Why,  what  particular  at- 
traction will  there  be  in  the  next  concert,  that  a 


THE  MONTHLY  CONCERT.  73 

Christian  should  attend  that,  if  never  another, 
do  you  ask?  Can  you  not  imagine?  Have  you 
not  heard  the  news  brought  by  the  last  ship  from 
eastern  and  southern  Asia?  When  came  a  ship  so 
freighted  with  tidings  ?  MORRISON  is  DEAD.  What 
Christian  will  not  go  to  the  next  concert,  if  for  no 
other  reason,  to  ofler  praise  to  God  that  Morrison 
lived,  and  lived  so  long,  and  was  enabled  to  accom- 
plish the  magnificent  work  of  translating  the  word 
of  God  into  the  language  read  and  spoken  by  one- 
third  of  human  kind? 

But  that  is  not  all  the  news  the  ship  brought.  I* 
came  fraught  with  Jieavy  tidings.  How  many  tears 
have  already  been  shed  at  the  recital — tears  of  grief 
for  the  dead,  and  tears  of  sympathy  for  the  living — 
the  widows,  and  the  mothers;  for  one,  perhaps 
each,  left  a  mother.  LYMAN  and  MUNSON,  in  the 
flower  of  their  youth,  and  on  the  threshold  of  their 
labors,  have  fallen,  not  the  subject  of  nature's  grad- 
ual decay,  nor  by  some  fell  eastern  disease,  but  the 
victims  of  violence,  the  food  of  cannibals.  This  is 
something  new.  We  have  never  before  had  intelli- 
gence like  this  from  our  missionary  fields.  We  have 
never  had  so  loud  a  call  in  Providence  to  the  con- 
cert. What  Christian  will  not  obey  it,  and  go  on 
Monday  to  weep  as  well  as  praise,  and  to  mingle 
with  tears  and  praises,  prayer  for  those  poor  brutal 
men  that  did  the  deed,  and  for  them  whose  hearts 
it  has  so  deeply  stricken  ?  And  what  Christian, 


74  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

who  properly  estimates  his  privileges  and  duly  re- 
gards his  obligations,  will  not,  on  that  occasion,  let 
fall  some  drops  of  sorrow  for  his  past  reraissness  in 
praying  for  missionaries  ? 

I  have  said  to  myself  since  I  heard  of  this  out- 
rage, "So  much  for  not  attending  the  monthly  con- 
cert— so  much  for  not  praying  more  for  missionaries." 
I  may  be  mistaken.  The  reader  will  judge.  But  so 
it  has  struck  me.  The  church  sent  out  these  mis- 
sionaries, and  many  more  than  half  of  her  reputed 
children  have  never  met  to  pray  for  them.  Whether 
the  same  remembered  them  in  the  closet  and  around 
the  fireside,  I  cannot  say,  but  I  fear  they  did  not. 

There  is  one  most  touching  part  of  the  melan- 
choly tale.  It  is  related  that  one  of  the  mission- 
aries— I  hope  we  shall  never  know  which  it  was — 
was  killed  and  eaten  first,  the  other  being  compelled 
to  be  a  spectator  of  the  whole  savage  ceremony, 
with  the  knowledge  that  he  was  reserved  for  a 
similar  fate.  How  he  must  have  felt.  Poor,  dear 
brother,  I  fear  we  never  prayed  for  thee  as  we  ought. 
You  could  go  from  country  and  home  and  mother, 
to  seek  a  spot  in  savage  Sumatra  to  plant  the  cross 
and  preach  Jesus,  while  we  could  not  once  a  month 
leave  our  firesides  long  enough  just  to  go  and  pray 
for  you,  that  God  would  protect  you  and  give  you 
favor  in  the  sight  of  the  heathen.  0  this  neglect 
of  the  monthly  concert  is  a  cruel  thing.  This  for- 
ge tfulness  to  pray  for  missionaries,  how  dwelleth  the 


HOW  CAME  IT  TO  PASS?  75 

love  of  God  in  the  same  heart  with  it?  Perhaps 
this  was  one  of  the  multitude  of  thoughts  that  passed 
through  his  mind  while  he  waited  to  be  sacrificed, 
and  while  he  perceived  that  God,  though  with  him 
to  support  and  to  save  him,  was  not  with  him  to 
protect  him  from  the  fierceness  of  man.  Perhaps 
he  thought,  "0,  if  Christians  had  been  more  uni- 
formly and  earnestly  mindful  of  us  in  the  closet,  the 
family,  and  the  concert,  the  hand  that  holds  even 
the  savage  heart,  might  have  turned  it  to  pity,  and 
spared  us.  But  his  will  be  done.  Bitter  as  is  the 
cup  we  drink,  it  is  not  so  bitter  as  the  cup  that  was 
drunk  for  us."  Let  us  all  go  to  the  coming  concert, 
and  humble  ourselves  together ;  and  from  his  humil- 
iation let  each  pray,  "Deliver  me  from  blood-guilti- 
ness, 0  God,  thou  God  of  my  salvation." 


13.    HOW  CAME  IT  TO  PASS  ? 

That  three  thousand  were  converted  on  the  day 
of  Pentecost,  how  came  it  to  pass  ?  The  truth  as 
it  is  in  Jesus  was  preached,  and  the  power  of  God 
accompanied  and  made  the  truth  effectual.  But 
had  not  the  meeting  for  prayer,  of  which  mention  is 
made  in  Acts  1  :  14,  a  close  and  influential  connec- 
tion with  the  glorious  results  of  that  day  and  that 
discourse?  Undoubtedly  it  had.  But  what  was 
there  in  that  meeting  of  the  hundred,  and  twenty 


76  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

disciples,  to  exert  an  influence  to  the  conversion  of 
three  thousand  individuals?  Whence  had  it  that 
power?  I  answer,  it  was  a  prayer-meeting,  pro- 
fessedly and  mainly  a  prayer-meeting.  If  it  had 
been  a  meeting  for  preaching,  it  would  not  have 
exerted  the  influence  it  did,  even  though  prayer  had 
preceded  and  followed  the  sermon.  It  was  a  prayer- 
meeting,  a  meeting  of  Christians  to  express  their 
dependence  on  God ;  unitedly  to  call  on  him  for  his 
blessing;  to  plead  the  promise,  and  to  wait  for  the 
fulfilment  of  it.  Those  are  the  efficient  meetings,  in 
which  Christians  meet  and  agree  to  ask  of  God.  I 
wonder  they  do  not  value  them  more.  To  the 
prayer-meeting  Christians  come  to  exercise  the  high 
privilege  of  intercession  for  others ;  to  do  good  and 
to  communicate;  to  act  the  "more  blessed"  part; 
whereas,  to  meetings  of  another  kind,  they  go  for 
the  less  benevolent  purpose  of  receiving  good.  Yet 
Christians  value  no  meetings  so  little  as  prayer- 
meetings.  And,  0  shame,  no  prayer-meeting  do 
they  value  so  little  as  that  which  Christ  himself 
may  be  said  to  have  established  in  saying,  "When 
ye  pray,  say,  Our  Father  which  art  in  heaven ; 
hallowed  be  thy  name;  thy  kingdom  come" — the 
monthly  concert.  Though  it  orcur  but  once  a 
month,  and  though  our  Saviour,  in  the  prayer  he 
has  given  us,  has  expressly  instructed  us  to  pray 
socially  for  the  conversion  of  the  world,  yet  how 
attended!  I  pity  the  heathen,  that  so  few  are  dig- 


HOW  CAME  IT  TO  PASS?  77 

posed  to  meet  to  pray  for  them.     For  the  church,  I 
blush  that  it  should  be  so. 

But  the  influence  of  that  meeting  of  a  hundred 
and  twenty  was  not  owing  entirely  to  its  being  a 
prayer-meeting.  Many  meetings  for  prayer  are 
held,  and  no  such  effects  follow.  There  must  have 
been  something  peculiar  about  that  prayer-meeting, 
to  account  for  its  efficacy.  There  was  much  by 
which  it  was  distinguished  from  ordinary  prayer- 
meetings.  The  mention  of  some  of  these  peculiari- 
ties may  be  of  service.  It  may  provoke  imitation  in 
some  churches. 

1 .  All  the  church  attended  that  prayer-meeting. 
"These  all  continued,"  etc.      There  were  but  a 
hundred  and  twenty  disciples,  and  they  were  all 
present.     Not  a  member  of  the  church  was  absent, 
unless  providentially  detained.     How  different  is  it 
now.     Now,  if  so  many  as  a  hundred  and  twenty 
can  be  collected  in  a  prayer-meeting,  yet  they  rep- 
resent perhaps  a  church  of  five  or  six  hundred  com- 
municants, and  all  the  rest  are  with  one  accord 
absent.     They  who  meet  may  agree  among  them- 
selves to  ask  for  an  outpouring  of  the  Spirit,  but  it 
is,  after  all,  but  the  agreement  of  a  minority  of  the 
church.     The  majority,  by  their  absence,  dissent 
from  the  request. 

2.  As  all  attended,  of  course  the  men  attended 
as  well  as  the  women.    Yes,  every  male  member  of 
the  church  was  present ;  and  I  suppose  the  males 


78  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

were  more  than  one  half  of  the  whole  number. 
They  did  not  leave  it  to  the  women  to  sustain  the 
prayer-meetings.  That  prayer-meeting  had  not  the 
aspect  of  many  a  modern  prayer-meeting,  in  which 
almost  all  are  of  the  weaker  sex. 

3.  The  most  distinguished  members  of  the  church 
attended,  as  well  as  the  most  obscure.    There  were 
all  the  apostles,  and  "Mary  the  mother  of  Jesus," 
and  "his  brethren."    None  of  them  felt  above  being 
at  a  prayer-meeting.      How  is  it  now?      Let  that 
question  answer  itself. 

4.  They  were  all  agreed,  "of  one  accord,"  as  it  is 
said.     Not  merely  agreed  as  touching  what  they 
should  ask,  namely,  the  fulfilment  of  "the  promise 
of  the  Father,"  but  of  one  mind  generally — aye, 
and   of  one  heart.     They  thought  and  felt  alike. 
They  all  loved  one  another.     They  observed  the 
new  commandment.      Such  cordial  union  among 
Christians  has  great  power  with  God.     It  does  not 
always  exist  in  our  prayer-meetings. 

5.  They  persevered  in  prayer.     "  These  all  con- 
tinued in  prayer."     First  they  stirred  themselves 
up  to  take  hold  on  God,  and  then  they  said,  "We 
will  not  let  thee  go,  except  thou  bless  us."     They 
met  often  for  prayer,  and  all  met,  and  they  lingered 
long  at  the  throne  of  grace.     There  were  not  some 
who  came  to  the  meeting  once  for  a  wonder,  or  only 
occasionally.     No;  " these  all  continued,"  etc.     It 
is  not  so  now.     But  how  long  did  they  continue 


HOW  CAME  IT  TO  PASS?  79 

asking?  Until  they  obtained;  and  then  they  did 
but  pass  from  the  note  of  prayer  to  that  of  praise. 
They  sought  the  Lord  until  he  came.  It  is  time 
we  all  should  do  it.  They  were  together — holding 
meeting — when  the  Spirit  descended. 

I  think,  if  all  our  church-members  would  habit- 
ually attend  the  prayer-meetings,  men  as  well  as 
women,  rich  as  well  as  poor,  and  be  "of  one  ac- 
cord" in  heart,  as  well  as  in  judgment,  and  would 
continue  in  prayer,  they  would  not  wait  in  vain  for 
"the  promise  of  the  Father."  0  for  such  prayer- 
meetings!  But  now  they  are  despised  by  many. 
How  often  we  hear  it  said,  It  is  nothing  but  a 
prayer-meeting.  Nothing  but!  I  should  like,  for 
my  part,  to  know  what  surpasses  a  prayer-meeting. 
A.nd  often  on  what  unworthy  conditions  do  those 
called  Christians  suspend  their  attendance.  They 
must  know  who  is  to  conduct  the  meeting,  who  will 
probably  lead  in  prayer,  and  from  whom  a  word  of 
exhortation  may  be  expected ;  and  if  the  meeting  is 
not  likely  to  be  to  their  mind,  they  will  not  attend 
it.  This  thing  ought  not  so  to  be. 


80  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 


14.    WHY  THE  WORLD  IS  NOT  CONVERTED. 

The  world  is  not  converted.  The  melancholy 
fact  stares  us  in  the  face.  Yet  the  world  is  to  be 
converted.  That  delightful  truth  shines  conspicu- 
ous on  the  pages  of  the  Bible.  Why  is  it  not  already 
converted  ?  It  ought  to  have  been  converted  ere 
this.  Eighteen  centuries  ago  it  was  well-nigh  con- 
verted. But  now  the  world  is  far,  very  far  from 
being  converted.  It  "lieth  in  wickedness."  What 
is  the  meaning  of  it  ?  Why  is  it  not  converted  ? 
Whose  is  the  fault  ?  Look  not  up  to  heaven  with 
the  inquiry,  as  if  the  reason  was  to  be  found  there, 
among  the  mysteries  of  the  eternal  Mind.  Look 
elsewhere.  The  fact  we  deplore  results  not  from 
any  lack  of  benevolent  disposition  in  God.  No ; 
"God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only  be- 
gotten Son,  that  wlwsoever  belie veth  in  him  should 
not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life."  What  could 
he  \\a.vefclt  or  done  more  ?  The  object  of  his  love, 
the  world ;  its  gift,  his  Son !  Could  it  have  been 
more  comprehensive,  or  more  munificent  ?  Nor  is 
the  reason  found  in  any  deficiency  in  the  atonement 
made  by  Christ,  for  he  is  the  propitiation  "  for  the 
sins  of  the  u-lwle  world"  the  Lamb  of  God  who 
"  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world."  Nor  is  it  owing 
to  any  limitation  in  the  commission  of  the  Holy 
Spirit ;  for  of  him  it  is  testified,  that  when  he  should 


WORLD  NOT  CONVERTED.  81 

come,  he  should  "reprove  the  world  of  sin:"  and 
the  commission  to  the  human  agents  of  the  work 
was  as  extensive,  "  Go  ye  into  all  tlie  world — preach 
the  gospel  to  every  creature — teach  all  nations." 
And  the  promise  of  the  presence  and  power  of  Christ 
to  be  with  them  is  also  without  restriction.  See 
what  goes  before,  and  what  comes  after  that  great 
commission.  The  words  which  precede  it  are,  "All 
power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  in  earth." 
The  words  which  follow  are,  "And  lo,  I  am  with 
you  always,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world."  You 
must  look  somewhere  else  than  upward  for  the  rea 
son  why  the  world  is  not  converted.  Look  beneath, 
around,  within. 

I  propose  to  assign  a  few  reasons  why  the  world 
is  not  converted.  ^ 

1.  The  world  does  not  wish  to  be  converted. 
That  which  is  to  be  the  subject  of  conversion  is  a 
foe  to  it.  It  resists  the  influence  that  would  convert 
it  to  God.  What  means  that  language,  "My  Spir- 
it shall  not  always  strive  with  man  ?"  Striving  im- 
plies opposition  offered.  The  opposition  is  made  by 
the  will.  The  universal  will  of  man  resists  the 
work  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  And  that  thing,  the  will, 
is  a  tremendous  obstacle  opposed  to  conversion.  It 
is  more  than  a  match  for  all  the  motives  you  can 
bring  to  bear  upon  it.  It  wont  move  for  motives. 
The  Lord  alone  can  master  it.  0,  if  the  world  had 
of  itself  been  willing  to  be  converted,  it  should  long 

Prs«.  Thought*.  6 


82  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

ere  this  have  been  brought  back  to  God.     It  is  but 
to  be  willing,  and  the  thing  is  done. 

2.  The  devil,  who  in  the  Bible  is  called  "the  god 
of  this  world,"  is  opposed  to  its  conversion.  Now, 
it  must  be  very  much  in  the  way  of  the  world's  con- 
version, that  not  only  itself,  but  its  god  is  opposed  to 
it.  The  will  is  a  powerful  foe  of  itself;  but  when 
the  will  is  in  league  with  Satan,  who  is  called  the 
adversary,  by  way  of  eminence,  what  an  enemy  the 
combination  must  produce.  The  devil  and  the  heart, 
what  a  formidable  alliance.  Satan  is  sincere  in  his 
opposition  to  the  conversion  of  the  world  ;  that  is, 
he  is  really  -opposed  to  it.  He  does  not  merely 
pretend  to  be.  And  he  is  in  earnest.  His  heart  is 
in  the  work  of  opposing  the  world's  conversion — 
and  he  docs  all  he  can  to  prevent  it.  The  friends 
of  the  conversion  of  the  world  do  not  all  they  can  to 
promote  it.  Would  that  they  did.  But  Satan  does 
all  he  can  to  prevent  it.  Ah,  why  cannot  we  do 
as  much  for  Christ  as  his  enemies  do  against  him  ? 
Why  don't  Christians  do  all  they  can?  Satan  does 
all  he  can,  and  that  is  a  great  deal ;  for  he  was  one 
of  those  angels  "that  excel  in  strength,"  and  though 
by  his  fall  he  lost  all  holiness,  he  lost  no  power.  He 
is  as  potent  as  ever,  possessed  of  very  great  energy, 
and  he  exerts  it  all  in  the  enterprise  of  opposing 
God  in  the  conversion  of  the  world.  And  he  does 
not  stand  still  and  exert  his  power,  but  goeth  "  to 
and  fro  in  the  earth."  Yea,  "as  a  roaring  lion, 


WORLD  NOT  CONVERTED  63 

walkcth  about,  seeking  whom  he  may  devour."  He 
does  not  wait  for  his  prey,  but  hunts  for  it.  Yet  he 
has  not  always  the  lion  look,  for  sometimes  "  Satan 
himself  is  transformed  into  an  angel  of  light ;"  nor 
does  he  always  roar.  He  can  let  his  voice  down  to 
the  softest  whisper,  which  the  ear  he  breathes  it  into 
alone  can  hear ;  and  Satan  does  not  act  alone.  He 
is  assisted  by  myriads  of  kindred  spirits.  They  were 
many,  we  are  told,  that  possessed  one  man — yes,  a 
legion.  How  many  they  must  be  in  all ;  and  all 
engaged  in  the  same  opposition — aye,  and  multi- 
tudes of  men  are  even  now  in  league  with  them, 
engaged  in  the  devils'  work  as  heartily  as  if  they 
were  of  that  race.  Is  not  this  a  strong  reason  why 
the  world  is  not  converted  ?  Have  I  not  given  two 
such  reasons?  But  I  have  a  stronger. 

3.  The  church  is  not  heartily  in  favor  of  the 
world's  conversion.  And  when  I  affirm  this  of  the 
church,  I  refer  not  to  those  who  rest  in  the  form  of 
godliness,  and  have  but  a  nominal  life.  No  wonder 
the  unconverted,  though  they  may  be  members  of 
the  visible  church,  should  not  be  concerned  for  the 
conversion  of  others.  But  I  mean  that  real  Chris- 
tians who  have  themselves  been  converted,  are  not 
heartily  in  favor  of  it.  Yes,  the  converted  part  of 
the  world  are  not  heartily  in  favor  of  the  conversion 
of  the  great  remainder.  And  this  is  the  principal 
reason  why  it  is  not  converted.  What  if  the  world 
is  not  in  favor  of  it,  and  Satan  is  not  ?  It  was  never 


84  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

intended  that  the  world  should  be  converted  by  their 
instrumentality,  but  in  spite  of  their  opposition.  But 
that  the  church,  to  whom  is  given  the  commission, 
to  whom  is  committed  the  instrumentality  which 
God  blesses  for  conversion,  and  to  whom  even  Christ 
looks  with  expectation,  should  not  enter  into  the 
work  with  all  her  soul  and  strength,  how  strange 
and  how  lamentable  !  I  know  that  Christians  say 
they  are  in  favor  of  it,  and  I  will  not  question  their 
sincerity,  but  I  wish  they  gave  such  proof  of  being 
sincere  and  in  earnest  as  Satan  and  his  allies  do. 
Actions  have  a  tongue,  and  they  speak  louder  than 
words.  Satan's  actions  declare  unequivocally  that 
he  is  a  foe  to  the  world's  conversion.  Do  our  actions 
proclaim  as  unequivocally  that  we  are  its  friends? 
We  say  we  desire  the  world's  conversion ;  but  what 
say  our  prayers,  our  contributions,  our  efforts,  our 
conduct?  We  talk  as  if  we  desired  it,  but  do  we 
pray,  do  we  contribute,  do  we  labor,  do  we  live  as  if 
we  desired  it  ?  In  this  matter  our  unsupported  word 
will  not  be  received  as  proof. 

Why,  if  we  who  love  the  Lord  are  heartily  in 
favor  of  the  world's  becoming  his,  are  we  so  divided 
among  ourselves?  The  enemies  of  the  world's  con- 
version are  united.  Yes,  they  forget  their  private 
differences  when  the  cause  of  Jesus  is  to  be  attacked, 
and  one  heart  animates  the  whole  infernal  host.  But 
the  friends  of  the  great  enterprise  are  divided,  and 
much  of  their  force  is  spent  in  skirmishes  among 


WORLD  NOT  CONVERTED..  65 

themselves,  while  the  common  enemy  in  the  mean- 
time is  permitted  to  make  an  almost  unresisted  prog- 
ress. It  is  a  pity,  a  great  pity.  It  ought  not  to  be 
so.  The  great  aggressive  enterprise  of  the  world's 
conversion  demands  all  our  resources,  and  yet  we 
are  expending  them  in  mutual  assaults.  When  will 
it  be  otherwise?  When  will  Christians  agree  on  a 
trues  among  themselves,  and  march  in  one  mighty 
phalanx  against  the  world,  to  the  service  to  which 
the  Captain  of  salvation  calls,  them?  When  shall 
it  once  be  ?  I  do  not  know,  but  I  do  know  that 
when  it  takes  place,  the  first  of  the  tlwusand  years 
will  not  be  far  off. 

Fellow-soldiers  of  the  cross,  what  are  we  about  ? 
Let  us  form.  Let  us  put  on  our  complete  armor  • 
some  of  us  are  not  in  full  panoply.  And  let  us  sing 
together  one  of  the  songs  of  Zion,  and  to  that  music 
let  us  march  on  to  the  conquest  of  the  world  for 
Jesus.  He  is  already  in  the  field,  let  us  hasten  to 
his  support.  Let  us  go  to  his  help  against  the 
mighty.  Let  us  leave  all,  even  our  mutual  dissen- 
sions, suspicions,  and  jealousies,  and  follow  him — 
and  presently  the  world  shall  be  converted. 


86  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

15.    THE  CONVERSION  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

We  hear  a  great  deal  nowadays  about  the  con- 
version of  the  world.  It  is  in  almost  every  Chris- 
tian's mouth ;  and  we  cannot  be  too  familiar  with 
the  phrase — we  cannot  be  too  diligent  to  promote 
the  thing.  It  ought  to  have  our  daily  thoughts, 
prayers,  and  efforts.  It  deserves  our  hearts.  It  is 
the  great  object  of  Christianity.  But  there  is  an- 
other community  besides  the  world,  which  I  think 
needs  to  undergo  a  measure  of  the  same  process  that 
.the  world  so  much  needs.  It  is  the  church.  While 
the  conversion  of  the  world  is  made  so  prominent, 
I  think  we  ought  not  to  overlook  the  conversion  of 
the  church,  especially  since  this  comes  first  in  order. 

Every  thing,  we  know,  begins  at  the  house  of 
God,  both  in  judgment  and  mercy.  But  what  do  I 
mean  by  the  conversion  of  the  church  ?  Is  not  the 
church  converted  already?  Suppose  I  admit  that; 
may  she  not  need  a  new  conversion  ?  Regeneration 
is  but  once,  but  conversion  may  be  many  times. 
Peter  had  been  converted  when  Christ  said  to  him, 
"And  when  thou  art  converted,  strengthen  thy 
brethren."  There  is  no  doubt  the  church  might  be 
converted  again,  and  that  without  any  injury  to 
her. 

But  why  do  I  think  the  church  needs  conversion  ? 
I  might  give  several  reasons,  but  I  will  assign  only 
one.  It  is  founded  on  Matthew  18  :  3,  "Except  ye 


CONVERSION  OF  THE  CHURCH.      87 

be  converted,  and  become  as  little  children."  Here 
we  see  the  effect  of  conversion,  is  to  make  the  sub- 
lets of  it  as  little  children;  and  hence  St.  John 
addresses  the  primitive  Christians  as  little  children. 
Now,  my  reason  for  thinking  the  church  needs  con- 
version is,  that  there  does  not  seem  to  be  much  of 
the  little  child  about  the  church  of  the  present  day. 
There  is  a  great  deal  more  of  "the  old  man"  about 
it,  I  am  afraid.  I  think,  if  John  were  living  now, 
he  would  not  be  apt  to  address  the  members  of  the 
church  generally  as  "  little  children."  No  indeed. 
I  question  whether,  if  he  were  even  addressing  an 
assembly  of  the  ministers  and  officers  of  many  of 
our  churches,  he  would  not  be  apt  to  apply  other 
terms  than  "little  children,"  as  a  preface  to  his  ex- 
hortation, "love  one  another,"  which  I  am  sure  he 
would  not  forget. 

Little  children  are  humble,  but  humility  is  not  a 
remarkable  characteristic  of  the  church  of  the  pres- 
ent day.  I  don't  think  the  scholars  of  either  of  the 
schools. have  got  the  lesson  of  lowliness  very  per- 
fectly from  their  Master.  I  fear,  if  the  Master  were 
to  come  in  upon  us  now,  he  would  be  likely  to 
chide  many  in  both  the  schools.  Why  two  schools  ? 
There  is  but  one  Master. 

.  How  confiding  little  children  are,  and  how  ready 
to  belic.ve,  on  the  bare  word  of  one  in  whom  they 
have  reason  to  feel  confidence ;  and  especially,  if  he 
be  a  father.  But  not  so  the  church.  "  Thus  saith 


68  PRACTICAL   THOUGHTS. 

the  Lord"  does  not  satisfy  her  sons  now.  They 
must  have  better  reasons  for  believing  than  that. 
They  must  hear  first  what  he  has  to  say,  and  then 
see  if  they  can  get  a  confirmation  of  it  from  any 
quarter,  before  they  will  believe  it.  How  uncere- 
moniously many  of  these  children  treat  some  of 
the  things  which  their  Father  very  evidently  says, 
because  they  do  not  strike  them  as  in  accordance 
with  reason,  justice,  or  common-sense. 

How  docile  the  little  child  is.  Mary,  who  "sat 
at  Jesus'  feet  and  heard  his  word,"  was  such  a  child. 
Never  a  ivhy  or  a  hoio  asked  she  of  him.  I  cannot 
say  so  much  for  the  church  of  our  day.  Simplicity 
also  characterizes  little  children.  How  open  and 
artless  they  are,  how  free  from  guile.  Such  was 
Nathanael.  Whether  this  trait  of  character  be  con- 
spicuous in  the  church  now,  let  the  reader  gay. 

Little  children  are  moreover  characterized  by  love, 
and  their  charity  "thinketh  no  evil."  How  unsus- 
picious they  are.  But  too  much  of  the  charity  of 
the  present  day,  so  far  from  thinking  no  evil,  think- 
eth no  good.  It  suspects  every  body.  It  "hopeth" 
nothing.  Indeed  love,  and  her  sister  peace,  which 
used  to  lead  the  graces,  are  become  as  icall-fmvers 
with  many,  into  such  neglect  have  they  fallen. 
They  seem  to  be  quite  out  of  the  question  with 
many.  Some  good  men  appear  to  think,  that  con- 
tending for  the  faith  is  the  end  of  the  commandment 
and  the  fulfilling  of  the  law.  But  it  is  not.  It  is  a 


CONVERSION  OF  THE  CHURCH.  89 

duty,  an  important  duty;  one  too  little  regarded  by 
many ;  one  never  to  be  sneered  at  as  by  some  it  is. 
I  acknowledge,  some  treat  it  as  if  it  were  nothing, 
/only  say,  it  is  not  every  thing.'  There  is  walking 
in  love,  and  following  peace,  which,  as  well  as  con- 
tending for the  faith,  are  unrepealed  laws  of  Christ's 
house.  I  believe  they  can  all  be  done,  and  that  each 
is  best  done  when  the  others  are  not  neglected.  I 
am  sure  truth  never  lost  any  thing  by  being  spoken 
in  love.  I  am  of  opinion,  that  a  principal  reason 
why  we  are  not  more  of  one  mind  is,  that  we  are  not 
more  of  one  heart.  How  soon  they  who  feel  heart 
to  heart,  begin  to  see  eye  to  eye.  The  way  to  think 
alike,  is  first  to  feel  alike ;  and  if  the  feeling  be  love, 
the  thought  will  be  truth.  I  wish,  therefore,  for  the 
sake  of  sound  doctrine,  that  the  brethren  could  love 
one  another.  What  if  we  see  error  in  each  other  to 
condemn,  can  we  not  find  any  thing  amiable  to  love  ? 
I  would  the  experiment  might  be  made.  Let  us  not 
cease  to  contend  for  the  faith,  not  merely  for  its  own 
sake,  but  for  love's  sake,  because  "  faith  worketh  by 
love."  But  in  the  conflict,  let  us  be  careful  to  shield 
love.  It  is  a  victory  for  truth  scarcely  worth  gaining, 
if  charity  be  left  bleeding  on  the  field  of  battle. 

You  see  why  I  think  the  church  wants  convert- 
ing. It  is  to  bring  her  back  to  humility  and  sim- 
plicity and  love.  I  wish  she  would  attend  to  this 
matter.  She  need  not  relax  her  efforts  for  the  world. 
She  has  time  enough  to  turn  a  few  reflex  acts  on 


90  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

herself.  The  object  of  the  church  is  to  make  the 
world  like  herself.  But  let  her  in  the  meantime 
make  herself  more  like  what  the  world  ought  to  be. 
It  is  scarcely  desirable  that  the  world  should  be  as 
the  church  in  general  now  is.  Let  her  become  a 
better  model  for  the  world's  imitation.  Her  voice  is 
heard  for  Christ;  but  let  her  "hold  forth  the  word 
of  life"  in  her  conduct,  as  well  as  by  her  voice.  Let 
her  light  shine.  Let  her  good  works  be  manifest. 
Let  her  heaven-breathed  spirit  breathe  abroad  the 
same  spirit. 

.  The  work  of  the  conversion  of  the  world  goes  on 
slowly ;  but  it  makes  as  much  progress  as  the  work 
of  the  conversion  of  the  church  does.  No  more 
sinners  are  converted,  because  no  more  Christians 
are  converted.  The  world  will  continue  to  lie  in 
wickedness,  while  "  the  ways  of  Zion  mourn  "  as  they 
do.  Does  any  one  wonder  that  iniquity  abounds, 
when  the  love  of  so  many  has  waxed  cold?  We 
are  sending  the  light  of  truth  abroad  when  we  have 
but  little  of  the  warmth  of  love  at  home. 

"We  are  often  asked  what  we  are  doing  for  the 
conversion  of  the  world.  We  ought  to  be  doing  a 
great  deal,  all  we  can.  But  I  would  aslf,  what  are 
we  doing  for  the  conversion  of  the  church  ?  What 
to  promote  holiness  nearer  home,  among  our  fellow- 
Christians  and  in  our  own  hearts  ?  Let  us  not  forget 
the  world ;  but  at  the  same  time,  let  us  remember 
Zion. 


INQUIRING  SAINTS.  91 

16.    INQUIRING  SAINTS. 

I  was  asked,  the  other  day,  whether  I  had  had 
any  recent  meeting  for  inquirers.  I  replied  that  I 
had  not ;  that  there  were  few  inquiring  sinners  in 
ythe  congregation,  and  I  judged  the  reason  to  be,  that 
there  were  few  inquiring  saints.  "  Inquiring  saints  ! 
that  is  a  new  phrase.  We  always  supposed  that 
inquiring  belonged  exclusively  to  sinners."  It  is  not 
BO.  Do  we  not  read  in  Ezekiel  36  : 37,  "  Thus  saith 
the  Lord  God,  I  will  yet  for  this  be  inquired  of  by 
the  house  of  Israel,  to  do  it  for  them  ?" — by  the  house 
of  Israel,  that  is,  by  his  people,  by  the  church.  You 
see  that  God  requires  and  expects  his  covenanted 
people  to  inquire.  It  is  true  that  saints  do  not  make 
the  same  inquiry  that  sinners  do.  The  latter  ask 
what  they  must  do  to  be  saved,  whereas  the  inquiry 
of  Christians  is,  "Wilt  thou  not  revive  us  again?" 
It  is  a  blessed  state  of  things  when  the  people  of  God 
are  inquiring.  It  is  good  for  themselves,  and  it  has 
a  most  benign  influence  on  others.  When  the  peo- 
ple of  God  inquire,  presently  the  impenitent  begin  to 
inquire.  That  question,  "  Wilt  thou  not  revive  us  ?'' 
is  soon  followed  by  the  other,  "What  must  I  do  to 
be  saved  ?"  Yes,  when  saints  become  anxious,  it  is 
not  long  ere  sinners  become  anxious.  The  inquiry 
of  the  three  thousand  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  "  Men 
and  brethren,  what  shall  we  do?"  was  preceded  by 
the  inquiry  of  the  one  hundred  and  twenty,  who  "  all 


92  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

continued  with  one  accord  in  prayer  and  supplica- 
tion." Generally,  I  suppose,  that  is  the  order.  First 
saints  inquire,  and  then  sinners.  And  whenever, 
in  any  congregation,  religion  does  not  flourish,  one 
principal  reason  of  it  is,  that  the  saints  are  not  in- 
quiring. They  do  not  attend  their  inquiry-meeting 
appointed  for  them.  The  saints'  inquiry-meeting 
is  the  prayer-meeting.  In  that,  Christians  meet 
together  to  inquire  of  the  Lord  "to  do  it  for  them," 
that  is,  to  fulfil  the  promise  about  the  new  heart 
andrthe  new  spirit,  of  which  he  had  been  speaking. 
Now,  when  this  meeting  is  crowded  and  interest- 
ing, when  the  inquiry  among  Christians  is  general 
and  earnest  and  importunate,  the  sinners'  inquiry- 
meeting  usually  becomes  crowded  and  interesting. 
0  that  I  could  make  my  voice  to  be  heard  by  all 
the  dear  people  of  God  in  the  land  on  this  subject. 
I  would  say,  "You  wonder  and  lament  that  sinners 
do  not  inquire.  But  are  you  inquiring?  You  won- 
der that  they  do  not  feel.  But  do  you  feel  ?  Can  you 
expect  a  heart  of  stone  to  feel  when  a  heart  ofjlcsh 
does  not?  You  are  surprised  that  sinners  can  sleep. 
It  is  because  you  sleep  alongside  of  them.  Do  you 
but  awake,  and  bestir  yourselves,  and  look  up  and 
cry  to  God,  and  you  will  see  how  soon  they  will 
begin  to  be  roused,  and  to  look  about  them,  and  to 
ask  the  meaning  of  your  solicitude."  0  that  the 
saints  would  but  inquire.  That  is  what  I  want 
to  see. 


INQUIRING  SAINTS.  93 

We  hear  a  good  deal  said  about  the  anxious-seat. 
Concerning  the  propriety  of  the  thing  signified  by 
that  not  very  elegant  expression,  we  will  not  now 
dispute,  especially  since  that  seat  is  at  present  pretty 
much  vacant  everywhere.  I  only  wish  that  the 
place  where  Christians  sit  were  a  more  anxious 
seat  than  it  is. 

Neither  will  I  engage  in  pending  controversy 
about  measures,  new  and  old.  What  I  fear  most 
from  the  controversy  is,  that  it  will  cause  many  to 
become  no-measure  men.  I  do  not  know  why  we 
want  so  many  measures,  if  we  will  only  make  good 
use  of  those  we  have.  There  are  two  measures 
which,  if  generally  adopted  and  faithfully  applied, 
will,  I  think,  answer  every  purpose.  You  may  call 
them  new  or  old.  They  are  both.  They  are  old,  yet 
like  the  new  commandment  and  the  new  song  of 
which  we  read  in  the  Bible,  ever  new.  The  first  is 
the  measure  of  plain  evangelical  preaching  "  in  sea- 
son, out  of  season,"  and  "  not  with  wisdom  of  words." 
The  other  is  the  measure  of  united  and  fervent  pray- 
er, such  as  preceded  the  memorable  events  of  the  day 
of  Pentecost.  I  am  for  these  old,  yet  ever  new  meas- 
ures. 0  that  the  brethren  of  every  name  would  take 
fast  hold  of  these  measures,  and  hold  on  to  them.  I 
think  then  we  should  not  want  many  more  meas- 
ures. Praying  and  preaching  used  to  be  "  mighty, 
through  God,  to  the  pulling  down  of  strongholds." 
I  am  sure  they  will  never  fail.  Let  us  employ  them. 


94  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

17.    DO  YOU  PAY  FOIL  A  RELIGIOUS  NEWSPAPER  ? 

I  was  going  to  ask  the  question  in  another  form, 
"Do  you  read  a  religious  newspaper?"  But  then  I 
reflected  that  many  read  a  religious  newspaper  who 
do  not  themselves  subscribe  for  one,  they  being  in 
the  habit  of  borrowing  from  their  neighbors,  and 
after  sending  and  respectfully  soliciting  the  loan  of 
the  paper  before  the  family  have  read  it,  and  not 
unfrequently  keeping  it  a  length  of  time  greater  than 
the  golden  rule  will  exactly  justify.  Then  I  had 
like  to  have  thrown  the  question  into  this  shape : 
"Do  you  subscribe  for  a  religious  newspaper?"  But 
it  struck  me  all  at  once  that  some  subscribe  for  a 
paper,  but  do  not  pay  for  it.  I  have  heard  this  com- 
plaint made,  and  I  have  no  doubt  there  is  foundation 
enough  for  it.  I,  for  my  part,  would  advise  such 
persons  to  take  a  tnoral  newspaper,  if  they  can  find 
such  a  thing.  That  is  the  sort  of  paper  they  require. 
A  religious  newspaper  is  quite  too  far  advanced  for 
them.  I  don't  know,  and  cannot  conceive,  why  these 
non-payers  want  to  read  a  religious  newspaper.  I 
should  suppose  they  would  be  satisfied  with  secular 
newspapers.  I  can  imagine  that  they  may  desire, 
notwithstanding  their  delinquency,  to  know  what  is 
going  on  in  the  world ;  but  why  they  should  care  to 
know  how  things  go  in  the  church,  I  cannot  con- 
jecture. What  do  those  who  do  riot  give  any  thing 
for  value  received,  want  to  know  about  revivals, 


RELIGIOUS  NEWSPAPER.  95 

• 

missions,  etc.  ?  Here  are  persons  who  would  starve 
editors,  publishers,  printers,  and  paper-makers — the 
whole  concern — into  a  premature  grave,  who  say, 
"Send  me  your  paper,"  implying,  of  course,  that 
they  will  send  the  money  in  return,  yet  never  send 
it ;  and  yet  they  want  to  know  all  about  the  progress 
that  is  making  in  converting  souls  to  God,  and  what 
is  doing  among  the  heathen.  Is  not  this  strange, 
that  having  never  learned  as  yet  to  practise  the  first 
and  easiest  lesson  of  honesty,  they  should  wish  to 
read  every  thing  about  godliness  and  vital  piety? 
So  I  concluded  to  head  the  article,  "Do  you  pay 
for  a  religious  newspaper  ?" 

Do  you,  reader?  If  you  do,  continue  to  take  and 
read  and  pay  for  it ;  and  be  slow  to  withdraw  your 
subscription.  Give  up  many  things  before  you  give 
up  your  religious  newspaper.  If  any  one  that  ought 
to  take  such  a  paper  does  not,  I  hope  that  some  one 
to  whom  the  circumstance  is  known,  will  volunteer 
the  loan  of  this  to  him,  directing  his  attention  par- 
ticularly to  this  article.  Who  is  he  ?  A  professor  of 
religion?  It  cannot  be.  A  professor  of  religion,  and 
not  taking  a  religious  newspaper !  A  member  of  the 
visible  church,  and  voluntarily  without  the  means 
of  information  as  to  what  is  going  on  in  that  church. 
A  follower  of  Christ,  praying  daily,  as  taught  by  his 
Master,  "  Thy  kingdom  come,"  and  yet  not  knowing, 
nor  caring  to  know,  what  progress  that  kingdom  is 
making.  Here  is  one  of  those  to  whom  Christ  said, 


96  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

"  Go,  teach  all  nations ;''  he  bears  a  part  of  the  re- 
sponsibility of  the  world's  conversion,  and  yet,  so 
far  from  doing  any  thing  himself,  he  does  not  even 
know  what  others  are  doing  in  promoting  this  great 
enterprise.  Ask  him  about  missionary  stations  and 
operations,  and  he  can  tell  you  nothing.  He  does 
not  read  about  them.  I  am  afraid  this  professor  of 
religion  does  not  love  "the  gates  of  Zion  more  than 
all  the  dwellings  of  Jacob."  Ah,  he  forgets  thee, 
0  Jerusalem. 

But  I  must  not  fail  to  ask  if  this  person  takes  a 
secular  newspaper.  0,  certainly  he  does.  He  must 
know  what  is  going  on  in  the  world ;  and  how  else 
is  he  to  know  it?  It  is  pretty  clear,  then,  that  he 
takes  a  deeper  interest  in  the  world  than  he  does  in 
the  church  ;  and  this  being  the  case,  it  is  not  difficult 
to  say  where  his  heart  is.  He  pays  perhaps  eight 
or  ten  dollars  for  a  secular  paper — a  paper  that  tells 
him  about  the  world ;  but  for  one  that  records  Zion's 
conflicts  and  victories,  he  is  unwilling  to  pay  two 
or  three.  How  can  a  professor  of  religion  answer 
for  this  discrimination  in  favor  of  the  world  ;  how 
defend  himself  against  the  charge  it  involves  ?  He 
cannot  do  it ;  and  he  had  better  not  try,  but  go  or 
write  immediately  and  subscribe  for  some  good  re- 
ligious paper ;  and  to  be  certain  of  paying  for  it,  let 
him  pay  in  advance.  There  is  a  satisfaction  when 
one  is  reading  an  interesting  paper,  to  reflect  that 
it  is  paid  for. 


DETACHED  THOUGHTS.  97 

But  perhaps  you  take  a  paper,  and  are  in  arrears 
for  it.  Now,  suppose  you  were  the  publisher,  and 
the  publisher  was  one  of  your  subscribers,  and  fie 
was  in  arrears  to  you,  what  would  you  think  he 
ought  to  do  in  that  case?  I  just  ask  the  question. 
I  don't  care  about  an  answer. 


18.    DETACHED  THOUGHTS. 

It  is  not  every  broken  heart  which  constitutes  the 
sacrifice  of  God.  It  depends  on  what  has  broken 
it — whether  the  experience  of  misfortune,  or  the 
sense  of  sin — the  sorrow  of  the  world,  or  the  sorrow 
of  God.  Both  break  the  heart,  but  it  is  a  different 
fracture  in  one  case  from  what  it  is  in  the  other. 
God  values  the  latter;  and  hearts  so  broken  he 
mends  and  makes  whole. 

Some  sinners  repent  with  an  unbroken  heart. 
They  are  sorry,  and  yet  go  on,  as  did  Pilate  and 
Herod. 

A  sinner  must  come  to  himself,  as  did  the  prodigal, 
before  ever  he  will  come  to  Christ. 

The  consummation  of  madness  is  to  do  what,  at 
the  time  of  doing  it,  we  intend  to  be  afterwards  sorry 
for ;  the  deliberate  and  intentional  making  of  work 
for  repentance. 

When  a  Christian  backslides,  it  is  as  if  the  prod- 

Pr»c.  Thooshti.  7 


98  PRACTICAL   THOUGHTS. 

igal  son  had  reacted  his  folly,  and  left  his  father's 
house  a  second  time. 

There  is  a  mighty  difference  between  feeling,  "  I 
have  done  wrong,"  and  feeling,  "  I  have  sinned 
against  the  Lord." 

Some  sinners  lay  down  their  burden  elsewhere 
than  at  the  feet  of  Jesus. 

Ministers  should  aim  in  preaching  to  puncture  the 
heart,  rather  than  tickle  the  ear. 

He  who  waits  for  repentance,  waits  for  what 
•cannot  be  had  so  long  as  it  is  waited  for.  It  is  ab- 
surd for  a  man  to  wait  for  that  which  he  has  him- 
self to  do. 

Human  friends  can  weep  with  us  when  we  weep, 
but  Jesus  is  a  friend  who,  when  he  has  wept  with 
us,  can  wipe  away  all  our  tears.  And  when  the 
vale  of  tears  terminates  in  the  valley  of  the  shad- 
ow of  death,  and  other  friends  are  compelled  to  re- 
tire and  leave  us  to  go  alone,  Jesus  is  the  friend 
who  can  and  will  enter  and  go  all  the  way  through 
with  us. 

It  is  better  for  us  that  Christ  should  be  in  heav- 
en than  on  earth.  We  need  him  more  there  than 
here.  We  want  an  advocate  at  court. 

When  a  family  party  are  going  home,  it  is 
common  for  one  to  go  before  to  make  all  ready 
for  the  rest,  and  to  welcome  them.  "  I  go  to 
prepare  a  place  for  you,"  says  Christ  to  his  dis- 
ciples. 


DETACHED  THOUGHTS.  99 

Procrastination  has  been  called  a  thief — the  thief 
of  time.  I  wish  it  were  no  worse  than  a  thief.  It 
is  a  murderer ;  and  that  which  it  kills  is  not  time 
merely,  but  the  immortal  soul. 

Surely  the  subject  of  religion  must  be  the  most 
important  of  all  subjects,  since  it  is  presently  to  be- 
come, and  ever  after  to  continue  to  be,  the  only  and 
all-absorbing  subject. 

The  obstacle  in  the  way  of  the  sinner's  conver- 
sion possesses  all  the  force  and  invincibleness  of  an 
inability,  with  all  the  freencss  and  criminality  of 
an  indisposition. 

In  vain  will  sinners  call  upon  the  rocks  and 
mountains  to  hide  them.  Nature  will  not  interpose 
to  screen  the  enemies  of  her  God. 

What  strange  servants  some  Christians  are — al- 
ways at  work  for  themselves,  and  never  doing  any 
thing  for  him  whom  they  call  their  Master.  And 
what  subjects — ever  desiring  to  take  the  reins  of 
government  into  their  own  hands. 

It  is  one  of  the  worst  of  errors,  that  there  is  an- 
other path  of  safety  besides  that  of  duty. 

The  man  who  lives  in  vain,  lives  worse  than  in 
vain.  He  who  lives  to  no  purpose,  lives  to  a  bad 
purpose. 

The  danger  of  the  impenitent  is  regularly  and 
rapidly  increasing,  like  his  who  is  in  the  midst  of 
a  burning  building,  or  under  the  power  of  a  fatal 
disease. 


100  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

How  many  indulge  a  hope  which  they  dare  not 
examine ! 

If  the  mere  delay  of  hope,  hope  deferred,  makes 
the  heart  sick,  what  will  the  death  of  hope,  its  final 
and  total  disappointment,  despair,  do  to  it? 

The  brightest  blaze  of  intelligence  is  of  incal- 
culably less  value  than  the  smallest  spark  of  char- 
ity. 

The  sublimest  thoughts  are  conceived  by  the  in- 
tellect when  it  is  excited  by  pious  emotion. 
'    There  are  many  shining  lights,  which  are  not 
also  burning  lights. 

Those  may  hope  to  be  saved  at  the  eleventh  hour 
who,  when  called  at  that  hour,  can  plead  that  it  is 
their  first  call ;  who  can  say,  when  asked  why  they 
stand  idle,  "Because  no  man  hath  hired  us." 

Some  never  begin  to  pray  till  God  has  ceased  to 
hear. 

The  Christian's  feeling  himself  weak,  makes  him 
strong. 

Genuine  benevolence  is  not  stationary,  but  peri- 
patetic. It  gocth  about  doing  good. 

Preparation  for  meeting  God  ought  to  be  made 
first,  not  only  because  it  is  most  important,  but  be- 
cause it  may  be  needed  first.  We  may  want  nothing 
BO  much  as  religion.  It  is  the  only  thing  that  is 
necessary,  certainly,  exceedingly,  indispensably,  and 
immediately. 

Some  things,  which  could  not  otherwise  be  read 


THE  LATE  MR.  WIRT.  101 

in  the  book  of  nature,  are  legible  enough  in  it  when 
the  lamp  of  revelation  is  held  up  to  it. 

It  is  easier  to  do  a  great  deal  of  mischief  than  to 
accomplish  a  little  good. 

No  man  will  ever  fully  find  out  what  he  is  by  a 
mere  survey  of  himself.  He  must  explore,  if  he 
would  know  himself. 

When  a  man  wants  nothing,  he  asks  for  every 
thing. 


19.    THE  LATE  MR.  WIRT. 

The  distinguished  man  whose  name  introduces 
this  article,  and  who  for  so  long  a  time  filled  so  large 
a  place  in  the  public  eye  and  mind,  has  passed  away 
from  the  admiring  view  of  mortals.  We  shall  never 
again  behold  on  earth  his  noble  figure,  but  his  mem- 
ory shall  long,  long  be  cherished  in  the  choicest 
place  of  the  heart.  His  history  in  part  belongs  to 
the  nation.  Let  others,  more  competent  to  the  task, 
write  that,  while  I  make  a  brief  record  of  that  por- 
tion of  his  earthly  story  which  connects  him  with 
the  church.  Few  names  have  ever  been  written  on 
earth  in  larger  and  more  brilliant  letters;  but  his 
name  was  written  also  in  heaven — he  had  a  record 
on  high.  Mr.  Wirt  was  a  Christian.  He  aspired 
to  that  "highest  style"  of  humanity,  and  by  divine 
grace  he  reached  it. 


102  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

The  writer  of  this  was  for  many  years  familiar 
with  the  religious  history  of  Mr.  Wirt.  From  the 
first  of  his  acquaintance  with  him,  he  always  found 
him  disposed  to  listen  and  learn  on  the  subject  of 
religion,  even  from  those  who  were  very  far  infe- 
rior to  him  in  intellect  and  general  information.  I 
never  knew  a  man  more  open,  candid,  docile,  than 
he ;  and  yet,  for  every  thing  which  he  admitted,  he 
required  a  reason.  His  faith  Avas  implicit  towards 
God,  when  he  had  ascertained  that  it  was  to  God  he 
was  listening ;  but  his  understanding  refused  to  bow 
to  man.  There  was  a  time  when,  it  is  believed,  he 
had  doubts  in  regard  to  the  truth  of  the  Christian 
religion ;  but,  inquiring  and  examining,  his  doubts 
departed,  and  his  mind  rested  in  the  confident  be- 
lief, for  which  he  was  ever  ready  to  render  a  rea- 
son, that  God  had  made  a  revelation  to  man,  and 
that  the  Bible  contains  that  revelation.  Perhaps 
this  work  of  conviction  was  not  fully  wrought  in 
him  until  some  years  ago,  when,  with  the  greatest 
satisfaction  and  profit,  as  he  has  often  said  to  the 
writer,  he  read  "Home's  Introduction  to  the  Criti- 
cal Study  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,"  a  work  which 
many  have  read  at  his  recommendation,  and  with 
like  results. 

But  Mr.  Wirt  was  not  satisfied  while  the  faith  of 
Christianity  had  possession  of  his  intellect  alone. 
He  was  aware  that  it  equally  deserved  a  place  in 
his  affections ;  and  having  long  yielded  to  Christ  the 


THE  LATE  MR.  WIRT.  103 

homasre  of  his  understanding,  he  at  length  opened 
to  him  that  other  department  of  the  man,  and  re- 
ceived him  into  his  heart. 

It  was  in  the  summer  of  1831,  that  on  a  profes- 
sion of  faith  and  repentance,  he  hecame  connected 
with  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Baltimore, 
of  which  he  remained  a  consistent  and  exemplary 
member  until  his  death. 

Shortly  after  his  union  to  the  church,  the  writer 
of  this  received  from  him  a  letter,  from  which  he 
thinks  it  will  be  gratifying  to  the  Christian  public 
that  he  should  make  the  following  extracts.  They 
show,  among  other  things,  what  views  this  great 
man  had  been  taught  by  the  Spirit  of  God  to  enter- 
tain of  the  human  character  and  heart.  He  writes 
from  the  Sweet  Springs  of  Virginia. 

"My  mind  has  been  too  much  occupied  by  the 
petty  every-day  cares  of  a  residence  at  a  public  wa- 
tering-place, or  travelling  and  tossing  over  rough 
roads,  for  that  continuous  and  systematic  medita- 
tion and  cultivation  of  religious  feelings  which  I 
know  to  be  my  duty,  and  which  I  think  I  should 
find  a  delightful  duty  ;  but  perhaps  I  deceive  myself 
in  this,  for  I  have  no  faith  in  the  fair  dealing  of  this 
heart  of  mine  with  myself.  I  feel  the  want  of  that 
supreme  love  of  my  God  and  Saviour  for  which  I 
pray.  I  feel  the  want  of  that  warming,  purifying, 
elevating  love,  that  sanctifying  and  cheering  spirit 
which  supports  the  Christian  in  his  warfare  with 


104  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  great  enemy  of  our 
souls.  Yet  let  me  not  be  ungrateful.  I  have  some 
sweet  moments.  My  affections  do  sometimes  take 
wing  among  these  great  works  of  God  that  surround 
me,  and  rise  to  their  Creator;  and  I  think  with 
gratitude  on  that  transcendently  greater  work  of 
his,  the  salvation  of  a  guilty  and  fallen  world  by 
the  death  and  mediation  of  his  only  Son.  But 
indeed  I  am  an  exceedingly  poor  and  weak  Chris- 
tian; and  I  often  fear,  too  often  for  my  peace,  that 
there  is  at  least  nothing  of  the  vitality  of  religion 
about  me,  and  that  I  may  have  mistaken  the  burning 
of  some  of  those  vapors  that  fume  from  an  ardent 
imagination,  for  that  strong,  steady,  and  ever-during 
fire  which  animates  the  Christian,  and  bears  him 
triumphant  on  his  course.  God  only  knows  how 
this  matter  is.  I  think  I  am  endeavoring  to  be  sin- 
cere. But  I  may  be  mistaken,  and  it  may  turn  out 
at  last  to  be  only  one  of  those  stratagems  which  the 
arch-enemy  plays  off  upon  us  to  our  ruin.  But  even 
this  apprehension  again  may  be  one  of  his  stratagems 
to  make  me  despond,  and  thus  defeat  the  operation 
of  the  Spirit.  . 

"  Alas,  with  how  many  enemies  are  we  beset — 
treachery  within  and  without.  Nothing  remains 
for  us  but  to  watch  and  to  pray,  lest  we  enter  into 
temptation.  God  forbid  that  the  public  profession 
which  I  have  made  of  religion  should  redound  to 
the  dishonor  of  his  cause.  It  is  the  fear  of  this 


THE  LATE  MR.  WIRT.  105 

which  has  so  long  held  me  hack,  and  not  the  fear 
of  man.  I  am  grieved  to  learu  that  my  having  gone 
to  the  Lord's  table  has  got  into  the  papers.  It  is  no 
fit  suhject  for  a  paper.  Of  what  consequence  is  it  to 
the  cause  of  Christ  that  such  a  poor  reptile  as  my- 
self- should  have  acknowledged  him  hefore  other 
worms  of  the  dust  like  myself.  I  feel  humbled  and 
startled  at  such  an  annunciation.  It  will  call  the 
eyes  of  a  hypercritical  and  malignant  world  upon 
me,  and,  I  fear,  tend  more  to  tarnish  than  to  advance 
the  cause." 

In  another  part  of  the  letter,  he  writes,  "I  long 
for  more  fervor  in  prayer ;  for  more  of  the  love  and 
Spirit  of  God  shed  abroad  in  my  heart;  for  more 
of  his  presence  throughout  the  day ;  for  a  firmer 
anchorage  in  Christ,  to  keep  this  heart  of  mine  and 
its  affections  from  tossing  to  and  fro  on  the  waves  of 
this  world  and  the  things  of  time  and  sense ;  for  a 
brighter  and  a  stronger  faith,  and  some  assurance  of 
my  Saviour's  acceptance  and  love.  I  feel  as  if  he 
could  not  love  me ;  that  I  am  utterly  unworthy  of 
his  love ;  that  I  have  not  one  loveable  point  or  qual- 
ity about  me ;  but  that,  on  the  contrary,  he  must 
still  regard  me  as  an  alien  to  his  kingdom  and  a 
stranger  to  his  love.  But,  with  the  blessing  of  God, 
I  will  persevere  in  seeking  him,  relying  on  his 
promise,  that  if  I  come  to  him,  he  will  in  no  wise 
cast  me  off." 

It  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  mention,  that  the 


106  PRACTICAL   THOUGHTS. 

favorite  religious  authors  of  Mr.  Wirt  were  Watts 
and  Jay.  More  recently,  he  became  acquainted  with 
the  writings  of  Flave'l ;  and  the  subject  of  the  last 
conversation  I  had  with  him  was  Flavel's  "Saint 
Indeed,"  which  he  had  just  been  reading  with  great 
interest. 


20.  TRAVELLING-  ON  THE  SABBATH. 

.  How  few  men  act  from  principle.  How  few  have 
any  rule  by  which  they  uniformly  regulate  their 
conduct.  Fewer  still  act  from  Christian  principle — 
regard  a  rule  derived  from  revelation.  It  makes 
my  very  heart  bleed  to  think  how  few,  even  of  civil- 
ized and  evangelized  men,  regard  divine  authority. 
And  yet  it  is  the  disregard  of  this  which  constitutes 
the  sinner  and  the  rebel.  Some  disregard  one 
expression  of  it,  and  some  another.  He  who,  what- 
ever respect  he  may  profess  for  God,  practically 
disregards  any  expression  of  divine  authority,  is  a 
revoltcr,  a  rebel — is  up  in  heart,  if  not  in  arms, 
against  God — is  engaged  in  a  controversy  with 
Jehovah. 

What  has  led  me  into  this  train  of  reflection,  is  the 
general  disregard  that  I  observe  with  respect  to  the 
sanctification  of  the  Sabbath.  He  who  made  us,  and 
who  by  constantly  preserving  us  when  otherwise  we 
should  relapse  into  non-existence,  may  be  said  to  be 


SABBATH  TRAVELLING.  107 

continually  renewing  the  creation  of  us,  and  has 
beyond  all  question  a  right  to  control  us,  did  long 
ago,  from  Sinai,  distinctly  express  his  will  with 
regard  to  the  manner  in  which  fhe  seventh  portion 
of  time  should  be  spent,  and  how  it  should  be  dis- 
tinguished from  the  other  six  portions.  He  remind- 
ed his  creatures  of  it,  and  declared  it  to  be  his  will 
that  it  should  be  kept  holy;  that  six  days  we  should 
labor,  and  therein  do  all  our  work,  leaving  none  of 
it  to  be  done  on  the  seventh,  because  the  seventh  is 
the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord  our  God.  It  is  his  rest, 
and  therefore  should  be  ours  also.  In  it  he  has 
signified  it  to  be  his  will  that  we  should  not  do  any 
icork;  neither  we,  nor  those  who  are  subject  to  us  as 
children  or  as  servants,  nor  even  those  transiently 
domesticated  with  us,  the  strangers  within  our  gates. 
Nor  should  man  alone  rest,  but  the  beast  also.  Then 
he  condescends  to  give  a  reason  for  this  enactment, 
in  which  all  mankind,  whenever  and  wherever  they 
live,  are  equally  interested — a  reason  which  was 
valid  from  the  creation  of  the  world,  and  will  hold 
good  as  long  as  the  world  lasts;  "for  in  six  days 
the  Lord  made  heaven  and  earth,  the  sea,  and  all 
that  in  them  is,  and  rested  the  seventh  day ;  wliere- 
forc  the  Lord  blessed  the  Sabbath-day,  and  hal- 
lowed it." 

Now,  God  has  never  revoked  this  expression  of 
his  will.  He  has  never  repealed  this  law.  If  he  has, 
ichen  did  he  it,  and  where  is  the  record  of  its  repeal  ? 


108  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

He  has  not  taken  off  the  blessing  which  he  laid  on 
the  Sabbath.  He  has  not  obliterated  the  distinction 
which  he  put  on  the  seventh  portion  of  time.  He 
has  not  said,  "You  need  no  longer  remember  the 
Sabbath  to  keep  it  holy ;  seven  days  you  may  labor ; 
my  example  of  six  days  of  work,  followed  by  one  of 
cessation  and  rest,  you  may  now  cease  to  imitate." 
He  has  not  said  any  thing  like  it.  The  law  is  in 
force  therefore  even  until  now. 

"Well,  here  is  the  law  of  God  with  the  reason  of 
•it.  Now  for  the  practice  of  men.  How  poorly  they 
compare.  There  are  indeed  few  who  do  not  remem- 
ber the  Sabbath-day,  and  in  some  manner  distinguish 
it  from  the  other  days  of  the  week.  But  the  law  is, 
that  they  should  remember  it  to  keep  it  holy — that 
they  should  distinguish  it  by  hallowing  it  as  a  day 
of  rest.  This  they  do  not.  They  keep  it  no  more 
holy  than  any  other  day,  though  they  do  differently 
on  that  day  from  what  they  do  on  others.  They  do 
not  the  same  work  on  that  day  which  they  do  on 
the  other  days,  but  they  do  some  work.  Such  as 
necessity  requires,  and  such  as  mercy  dictates,  they 
may  do.  The  law  of  nature  teaches  that,  and  the 
example  of  the  Lord  of  the  Sabbath  sanctions  and 
confirms  the  lesson.  But  they  do  other  work  than 
such  as  these  call  them  to.  The  Sabbath  is  with 
them  as  secular  a  day  as  any  other,  though  the  man- 
ner of  their  worldliness  on  that  day  may  be  unlike 
what  it  ia  on  the  other  days.  What  is  more  purely 


SABBATH  TRAVELLING.  109 

secular  than  visiting  and  travelling,  yet  what  more 
common  on  the  day  which  the  Lord  has  blessed  and 
hallowed?  These,  I  know,  are  not  considered  as 
falling  under  the  denomination  of  work,  but  they  do 
fall  under  it.  They  are  as  certainly  included  among, 
the  things  forbidden  to  be  done  on  the  Sabbath,  as 
are  ploughing  and  sowing.  The  former  are  no  more 
sacred,  no  less  secular,  than  are  the  latter. 

1  have  been  struck  with  the  indiscriminate  man- 
ner in  which  travellers  use  the  seven  days  of  the 
week.  One  would  suppose  that  the  law  had  made 
an  exception  in  favor  of  travelling — forbidding  every 
other  species  of  secular  employment  on  the  day  of 
rest,  but  allowing  men  to  journey  on  it.  They  that 
would  not  do  any  other  labor  on  the  Sabbath,  will 
nevertheless  without  compunction  travel  on  that 
day.  The  farmer  who  would  not  toil  in  his  field, 
the  merchant  who  would  not  sell  an  article  out  of 
his  store,  the  mechanic  who  would  not  labor  at  his 
trade,  and  the  mistress  of  the  family  who  scrupu- 
lously avoids  certain  household  occupations  on  the 
Sabbath,  will  yet,  all  of  them,  without  any  relent- 
ings,  travel  on  the  Sabbath,  and  that  whether  the 
object  of  their  journey  be  business  or  pleasure;  it 
makes  no  difference.  They  would  not  on  the  Sab- 
bath do  other  work  appropriate  to  the  six  days. 
That  would  shock  them.  But  to  commence,  con- 
tinue, or  finish  a  journey  on  the  Sabbath,  offends 
not  their  consciences  in  the  least.  I  am  acquainted 


11Q  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

with  many  persons  who  would  not  for  the  world 
travel  to  a  place  on  Saturday,  accomplish  their 
business,  the  object  of  their  journey,  on  Sunday,  and 
return  on  Monday ;  but  these  same  persons  will,  for 
a  very  little  of  the  world,  and  without  any  hesita- 
tion, go  to  the  place  on  Friday,  do  their  business  on 
Saturday,  and  return  on  Sunday.  Now,  I  would  do 
the  one  just  as  soon  as  I  would  the  other,  and 
should  consider  that  I  desecrated  the  Sabbath  by 
travelling  to  or  from  the  place  of  business  on  it, 
just  as  much  as  by  accomplishing  the  object  of  the 
journey  on  it. 

I  would  ask  the  candid  traveller,  if  any  thing  can 
secularize  the  Sabbath  more  completely,  if  any  thing 
can  more  effectually  nullify  it,  than  ordinary  travel- 
ling ?  If  a  man  may  lawfully  travel  on  the  Sabbath, 
except  in  a  case  of  stern  necessity,  such  as  would 
j  ustify  any  species  of  work,  I  know  not  what  he  may 
not  lawfully  do  on  that  day.  What  is  more  absurd 
than  that  it  should  he  lawful  and  proper  to  journey 
on  the  day  set  apart  and  sanctified  for  rest  ?  Surely, 
journeying  does  not  comport  well  with  rest.  But 
they  say  that  travelling  is  not  work,  and  therefore 
not  included  in  the  prohibition.  I  deny  the  fact.  It 
is  often  hard  and  wearisome  work.  And  what  if  it 
be  not  work  to  the  passenger,  is  it  not  work  to  those 
who  are  employed  in  conveying  him  ?  If  he  does  not 
labor,  yet  others  must  labor  in  order  to  enable  him 
to  travel ;  and  is  he  not  equally  responsible  for  the 


SABBATH  TRAVELLING.  HI 

work  which  he  renders  necessary  on  the  Sabbath, 
as  for  that  which  he  does  with  his  own  hands  ?  But 
what  if  no  human  being  is  employed  to  forward  him 
on  his  journey,  he  deprives  the  beast  of  his  day  of 
rest.  And  is  it  nothing  to  withhold  from  the  poor 
animal  the  privilege  of  the  Sabbath — to  compel  him 
to  work  on  the  day  on  which  God  has  directed  that 
he  should  be  permitted  to  rest  ? 

According  to  this  theory,  that  it  is  lawful  to 
journey  on  the  Sabbath,  a  man  may  so  arrange  it 
as  never  to  be  under  obligation  to  keep  a  Sabbath. 
He  has  only  to  set  apart  that  day  of  the  week  for 
travelling;  he  has  only  to  keep  in  motion  on  the 
day  of  rest ;  that  is  all.  Moreover,  he  who  gets 
his  living  by  travelling,  or  by  the  journeying  of 
others,  has,  on  this  supposition,  a  manifest  advan- 
tage, if  such  it  may  be  called,  over  his  neighbors. 
He  has  seven  days  for  profit,  while  they  have  only 
six.  The  day-laborer  and  the  poor  mechanic  may 
not  use  the  seventh  day  as  they  do  the  other 
days  of  the  week.  They  must  make  a  distinction 
between  them.  But  those  who  travel  for  their 
pleasure,  or  whose  business  calls  them  abroad,  and 
those  who  accommodate  them  with  conveyances, 
may  use  the  seven  days  indiscriminately.  Is  this 
equal ? 

I  think  it  must  be  evident  to  every  unpreju- 
diced mind,  that  to  travel  on  the  Sabbath  is  to  use 
it  as  any  other  day.'  It  is  to  make  no  distinction 


112  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

between  it  and  Monday  or  Saturday.  It  disregards 
the  peculiarity  of  the  day  altogether.  Yet  I  sup- 
pose there  is  as  much  journeying  on  the  Sabbath 
as  there  is  on  any  other  day  of  the  week.  With  very 
few  exceptions,  the  steamboats  ply  and  the  stages 
run  as  usual ;  and  both,  I  am  informed,  are  as  full, 
if  not  more  crowded  on  the  Sabbath  than  on  any 
other  day ;  and  private  carriages  are  as  numerous 
on  the  great  thoroughfares,  and  in  the  vicinity  of 
cities  more  so,  on  the  Sabbath.  And  the  registers 
of  the  watering-places  show  as  many  arrivals  and 
departures  on  Sunday  as  on  Monday.  Yes,  men 
make  as  free  with  the  Lord's  day  as  they  do  with 
their  own  days.  So  little  regard  is  paid  to  divine 
authority.  So  little  do  men  care  for  God.  And,  they 
tell  me,  all  sorts  of  men  travel  on  the  Sabbath — 
even  many  professors  of  religion.  That  I  would 
'suppose.  I  never  heard  of  any  thing  so  bad  that 
some  professor  of  religion  had  not  done  it.  It  was 
one  of  the  professors  of  religion  who  bartered  away 
and  betrayed  our  blessed  Lord  and  Saviour.  And 
some  ministers  of  the  gospel,  I  am  told,  do  the  work 
of  travelling  on  the  Sabbath.  Now  we  have  some 
ministers  who  have  farms.  I  suppose  it  would  be 
accounted  dreadful,  should  they  plough  or  reap  on 
the  Sabbath.  Yet  these  might  plough  as  innocently 
as  those  may  travel.  But  these  breakers  of  the  Sab- 
bath, and  indeed  almost  all  of  this  class  of  trans- 
gressors are  the  readiest  persoi  s  I  ever  met  with  at 


SABBATH  TRAVELLING.  113 

making  excuses  for  their  conduct.  I  propose  in  my 
next  to  consider  some  of  their  apologies.  They  will 
be  found  very  curious. 


91.  APOLOGIES  FOR  TRAVELLING  ON  THE  SABBATH. 

Some  of  those  who  do  the  work  of  journeying  on 
the  Sabbath,  do  not  condescend  to  make  any  apol- 
ogy for  it.  They  care  neither  for  the  day,  nor  for 
Him  who  hallowed  it.  With  these  we  have  noth- 
ing to  do.  Our  business  is  with  those  who,  admit- 
ting the  general  obligation  of  the  Sabbath,  and 
knowing  or  suspecting  Sunday  travelling  to  be  a 
sin,  ofTer  apologies  which  they  hope  may  justify  the 
act  in  their  case,  or  else  go  far  towards  extenuating 
the  criminality  of  it.  I  propose  to  submit  to  the 
judgment  of  my  readers  some  of  the  excuses  for  this 
sin,  as  I  cannot  help  calling  the  breach  of  the 
fourth  commandment,  which  from  time  to*  time  I 
have  heard  alleged. 

I  would  premise  that  I  know  of  no  sin  which 
men  are  so  sorry  for  before  it  is  done,  and  so  ready 
to  apologize  for  afterwards.  I  cannot  tell  how 
many  persons,  about  to  travel  on  the  Sabbath, 
have  answered  me  that  they  were  very  sorry  to  do 
it ;  and  yet  they  have  immediately  gone  and  done 
it.  They  have  repented  and  then  sinned — just  like 

Pnc.  Thought!.  8 


114  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

Herod,  who  was  sorry  to  put  John  the  Baptist  to 
death,  and  then  immediately  sent  an  executioner 
to  bring  his  head.  It  does  not  diminish  the  crimi- 
nality of  an  act  that  it  is  perpetrated  with  some 
degree  of  regret — and  yet  the  presence  of  such  a 
regret  is  considered  by  many  as  quite  a  tolerable 
excuse. 

One  gentleman  who  was  sorry  to  travel  on  the 
Sabbath,  added,  I  recollect,  that  it  was  against  his 
principles  to  make  such  a  use  of  the  day.  I  won- 
dered then  that  he  should  do  it — that  he  should 
deliberately  practise  in  opposition  to  his  principles. 
But  I  was  still  more  surprised  that  he  should  think 
to  excuse  his  practice  by  alleging  its  contrariety  to 
his  principles.  What  are  principles  for  but  to  reg- 
ulate practice ;  and  if  they  have  not  fixedness  and 
force  enough  for  this,  of  what  use  are  they  ?  A 
man's  principles  may  as  well  be  in  favor  of  Sab- 
bath-breaking as  his  practice ;  and  certainly  it  con- 
stitutes a  better  apology  for  a  practice,  that  it  is  in 
conformity  to  one's  principles,  than  that  it  is  at 
variance  with  them. 

Another  gave  pretty  much  the  same  reason  for 
his  conduct  in  different  words  :  "  It  is  not  my  liab- 
it,"  said  he,  "to  travel  on  the  Sabbath."  It  was 
only  his  act.  He  did  not  uniformly  do  it.  He  only 
occasionally  did  it.  A  man  must  be  at  a  loss  for 
reasons  who  alleges  an  apology  for  travelling  one 
Sabbath,  that  he  does  not  travel  other  Sabbaths. 


SABBATH  TRAVELLING.  115 

The  habit  of  obedience  forms  no  excuse  for  the  act 
of  disobedience. 

An  intelligent  lady,  who  was  intending  to  travel 
on  the  Sabbath,  volunteered  this  exculpation  of  her- 
self. .  She  said  she  had  travelled  one  Sabbath  al- 
ready since  she  left  home,  and  she  supposed  it  was 
no  worse  to  travel  on  another.  What  then?  are 
not  two  sins  worse  than  one  ? 

Another,  and  she  was  a  lady  too,  said  she  could 
read  good  books  by  the  way :  "  And  you  know," 
said  she,  "that  we  can  have  as  good  thoughts  in 
one  place  as  in  another."  I  assented,  but  could 
not  help  thinking  that  the  persons  employed  in 
conveying  her  might  not  find  their  situation  as 
favorable  to  devout  reading  and  meditation.  This, 
I  suppose,  did  not  occur  to  her. 

Another  person  said  that  he  would  never  com- 
mence a  journey  on  the  Sabbath;  but  when  once 
set  out,  he  could  see  no  harm  in  proceeding.  But 
I,  for  my  part,  could  not  see  the  mighty  difference 
between  setting  out  on  the  Sabbath,  and  going  on 
on  the  Sabbath.  My  perceptions  were  so  obtuse 
that  I  could  not  discern  the  one  to  be  travelling, 
and  the  other  to  be  equivalent  to  rest. 

I  heard,  among  other  excuses,  this :  Sunday  was 
the  only  day  of  the  week  on  which  the  stage  run  to 
the  place  to  which  the  person  wished  to  go,  and 
therefore  he  was  compelled  to  travel  on  Sunday. 
Compelled  ?  Why  go  to  the  place  at  all  ?  Why 


116  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

not  procure  a  private  conveyance  on  another  day 
of  the  week  ?  What  if  it  should  be  more  expen- 
sive ?  Doing  right  pays  so  well,  that  one  can  afford 
to  be  at  some  expense  to  do  it. 

Again,  I  was  frequently  met  with  this  apology 
for  journeying  on  the  Sabbath  :  "  The  stage  was 
going  on,  and  if  I  had  laid  by  on  the  Sabbath,  I 
should  have  lost  my  seat,  and  might  have  had  to 
wait  on  the  road  perhaps  for  a  whole  week,  before 
I  could  regain  it."  This  apology  satisfied  many. 
'They  thought  it  quite  reasonable  that  the  person 
should  proceed  under  those  circumstances.  But  it 
did  not  satisfy  me.  It  occurred  to  me,  that  if  he 
had  honored  the  Sabbath,  and  committed  his  way 
to  the  Lord,  he  might  not  have  been  detained  on 
the  road  beyond  the  day  of  rest.  But  what  if  he 
had  been  ?  are  we  under  no  obligation  to  obey  a 
command  of  God,  if  we  foresee  that  obedience  to  it 
may  be  attended  with  some  inconvenience  ?  Better 
the  detention  of  many  days  than  the  transgression 
of  a  precept  of  the  decalogue. 

One  person  told  me  that  he  meant  to  start  very 
early  in  the  morning,  for  he  wished  to  occupy  as 
little  of  the  Sabbath  in  travelling  as  possible. 
Another  proposed  to  lie  by  all  the  middle  of  the 
day,  and  proceed  in  the  evening,  and,  he  was  sure 
there  could  be  no  harm  in  that.  Ah,  thought  I, 
and  has  not  Sunday  a  morning  and  an  evening  ap- 
propriate to  itself  as  well  as  any  other  day  of  the 


SABBATH  TRAVELLING.  117 

week  ?  Is  the  morning  of  Sunday  all  one  with  Sat- 
urday, and  the  evening  no  more  sacred  than  Mon- 
day ?  Did  God  hallow  only  the  middle  of  the  day  ? 
And  is  the  day  of  rest  shorter  by  several  hours  than 
any  other  day  ?  I  never  could  see  how  one  part  of 
the  Sabbath  should  be  entitled  to  more  religious 
respect  than  another  part.  It  seems  to  me  a  man 
may  as  properly  travel  on  the  noon  of  the  Sabbath, 
us  in  the  morning  or  evening. 

One  person  was  very  particular  to  tell  me  what 
he  meant  to  do  after  he  had  travelled  a  part  of  the 
Lord's  day.  He  expected,  by  about  ten  or  eleven 
o'clock,  to  come  across  a  church,  and  he  intended 
to  go  in  and  worship.  That,  he  supposed,  would  set 
all  right  again. 

Another,  a  grave-looking  personage,  was  travel- 
ling on  the  Sabbath  to  reach  an  ecclesiastical  meet- 
ing in  season.  Another,  in  order  to  fulfil  an  ap- 
pointment he  had  made  to  preach.  These  were 
ministers.  They  pleaded  the  necessity  of  the  case  ; 
but  I  could  see  no  necessity  in  it.  I  thought  the 
necessity  of  keeping  God's  commandments  a  much 
clearer  and  stronger  case  of  necessity.  The  busi- 
ness of  the  meeting  could  go  on  without  that  clergy- 
man, or  it  might  have  been  deferred  a  day  in  wait- 
ing for  him,  or  he  might  have  left  home  a  day 
earlier.  The  appointment  to  preach  should  not 
have  been  made  ;  or,  if  made,  should  have  been 
broken. 


118  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

There  was  one  apologist  who  had  not  heard  from 
home  for  a  good  while,  and  he  was  anxious  to  learn 
about  his  family.  Something  in  their  circumstances 
might  require  his  presence.  I  could  not  sustain  even 
that  apology,  for  I  thought  the  Lord  could  take  care 
of  his  family  without  him  as  well  as  with  him,  and 
I  did  not  believe  they  would  be  likely  to  suffer  by 
his  resting  on  the  Sabbath  out  of  respect  to  God's 
commandment,  and  spending  the  day  in  imploring 
the  divine  blessing  on  them. 

•  Another  apologist  chanced  to  reach  on  Saturday 
night  an  indifferent  public-house.  He  pleaded, 
therefore,  that  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  proceed 
on  the  next  day  until  he  should  arrive  at  better 
accommodations.  But  I  could  not  help  thinking 
that  his  being  comfortably  accommodated  was  not, 
on  the  whole,  so  important  as  obedience  to  the 
decalogue. 

One  person  thought  he  asked  an  unanswerable 
question,  when  he  begged  to  know  why  it  was  not 
as  w6ll  to  be  on  the  road,  as  to  be  lying  by  at  a 
country  tavern.  It  occurred  to  me,  that  if  his 
horses  had  possessed  the  faculty  of  Balaam's  beast, 
they  could  have  readily  told  him  the  difference, 
and  why  the  latter  part  of  the  alternative  was 
preferable. 

There  was  still  another  person  who  was  sure  his 
excuse  would  be  sustained.  He  was  one  of  a  party 
who  were  determined  to  proceed  on  the  Sabbath  in 


SABBATH  TRAVELLING.  119 

spite  of  his  reluctance,  and  he  had  no  choice  but  to 
go  on  with  them.  Ah,  had  he  no  choice  ?  Would 
they  have  forced  him  to  go  on  ?  Could  he  not  have 
separated  from  such  a  party;  or  might  he  not,  if 
he  had  been  determined,  have  prevailed  on  them 
to  rest  on  the  Lord's  day?  Suppose  he  had  said 
mildly,  yet  firmly,  "My  conscience  forbids  me  to. 
journey  on  the  Sabbath.  You  can  go,  but  you  must 
leave  me.  I  am  sorry  to  interfere  with  your  wishes, 
but  I  cannot  offend  God."  Is  it  not  ten  to  one  such 
a  remonstrance  would  have  been  successful  ?  I 
cannot  help  suspecting  that  the  person  was  willing 
to  be  compelled  in  this  case. 

But  many  said  that  this  strict  keeping  of  the 
Sabbath  was  an  old  puritanical  notion,  and  this 
seemed  to  ease  their  consciences  somewhat.  I  re- 
marked that  I  thought  it  older  than  puritanism.  A 
Sinaitical  notion  I  judged  it  to  be,  rather  than 
puritanical. 

Many  Sunday  travellers  I  met  with  begged  me 
not  tell  their  pious  relatives  that  they  had  travelled 
on  the  Sabbath.  They  thought,  if  these  knew  it, 
they  would  not  think  so  well  of  them,  and  they 
would  be  likely  to  hear  of  it  again.  No  one  asked 
me  not  to  tell  God.  They  did  not  seem  to  care  how 
it  affected  them  in  his  estimation.  It  never  occurred 
to  them  that  they  might  hear  from  the  Lord  of  the 
Sabbath  on  the  subject. 

I  do  not  know  any  purpose  which  such  apologies 


120  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

for  Sabbath -breaking  serve,  since  they  satisfy  neither 
God  nor  his  people,  but  one,  and  that  is  not  a  very 
valuable  one.  They  serve  only,  as  far  as  I  can  see, 
to  delude  those  who  offer  them. 

I  love  to  be  fair.  I  have  been  objecting  lately 
against  the  Catholics,  that  they  reduce  the  number 
of  the  commandments  to  nine.  I  here  record  my 
acknowledgment  that  some  of  us  Protestants  have 
really  but  nine.  The  Catholics  omit  the  second; 
some  of  our  Protestants,  the  fourth. 


22.    "I  HAVE  DONE  GIVING." 

A  gentleman  of  high  respectability,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  church,  made  this  remark  the  other  day, 
when  informed  that  an  application  was  about  to  be 
made  to  him  in  behalf  of  some  charitable  object.  "  I 
have  done  giving,"  said  he.  When  I  heard  of  his 
remark  it  awakened  in  my  mind  a  train  of  reflec- 
tion, which  I  have  thought  it  might  not  be  amiss  to 
communicate. 

"Done  giving!"  Has  he  indeed?  Why,  has  he 
given  all  ?  Has  he  nothing  left  to  give  ?  Has 
this  disciple  done  what  his  Master  did?  Was  he 
rich,  and  has  he  become  poor  for  the  sake  of  others, 
that  they,  through  his  poverty,  might  be  rich  ?  0 
no ;  he  is  rich  still.  He  has  the  greatest  abundance ; 


"I  HAVE  DONE  GIVING."  121 

more  than  enough  to  support  him  in  elegance,  and 
to  enable  him  to  leave  an  ample  inheritance  to  his 
children.  What  if  he  has  a  great  deal?  He  has 
not  only  not  impoverished  himself,  but  is  probably 
richer  now,  through  the  favor  of  Providence,  than 
he  would  have  been  had  he  never  given  any  thing. 
Now  if,  by  honoring  the  Lord  with  his  substance, 
his  barns,  instead  of  being  emptied,  have  been  filled 
with  plenty,  he  had  better  continue  this  mode  of 
honoring  him.  He  should  rather  increase  than 
arrest  his  liberality. 

"  Done  giving !"  Why?  Is  there  no  more  need 
of  giving?  Is  every  want  abundantly  supplied  ?  la 
the  whole  population  of  our  country  furnished  with 
the  means  of  grace?  Is  the  world  evangelized? 
Have  missionaries  visited  every  shore  ?  Is  the  Bible 
translated  into  every  language  and  distributed  in 
every  land,  a  copy  in  every  family,  and  every  mem- 
ber of  every  family  taught  to  read  it?  Are  the 
accommodations  for  widows  and  orphans  as  ample 
as  they  should  be  ?  Is  there  a  house  of  refuge  for 
every  class  of  the  human  family  that  needs  one ;  or 
have  the  poor  ceased  from  the  land?  0  no;  there 
are  no  such  good  reasons  as  these  for  ceasing  to  give. 
Why,  then,  has  he  done  giving  ?  Is  it  because 
others  do  not  give  as  they  ought  ?  But  what  is  that 
to  him?  Will  he  make  the  practice  of  others  his 
rule  of  conduct,  rather  than  the  precept  of  Jesus 
Christ?  If  others  do  not  give,  so  much  the  mere 


122  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

should  he.  Will  lie  add  another  name  to  the  list  of 
niggards  ? 

Does  he  feel  worse  for  having  given  away  so 
much  ?  Has  it  made  him  unhappy  ?  Is  his  expe- 
rience different  from  that  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  who 
said,  "  It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive  ?" 

Has  he  who  thinks  he  will  give  no  more,  been 
led  to  that  conclusion  by  having  found  that  what 
has  been  given  hitherto  has  done  no  good  ?  And  is 
it  so,  that  no  good  has  been  done  by  all  the  Bibles 
published,  and  all  the  tracts  distributed,  and  all  the 
missionaries  sent  abroad  into  our  own  land  and  into 
the  world ;  and  all  the  schools  established,  and  all 
the  children  taught  to  read,  and  all  the  civilization 
introduced,  and  all  the  asylums  opened,  and  all  the 
poverty  relieved?  Has  no  good  been  done?  Good, 
great  good  has  been  done  by  what  has  been  given ; 
but  still  more  will  be  done  by  what  shall  be  given 
hereafter.  Bibles  can  now  be  printed  at  a  cheaper 
rate  than  heretofore,  and  the  conductors  of  our 
charitable  operations  have  learned,  by  experience, 
that  economy  which  can  be  learned  in  no  other 
way.  And  yet,  at  this  time,  when  a  dollar  goes  so 
far  in  doing  good>  here  is  a  man  who  says,  "  I  have 
done  giving!"  If  I  had  his  ear  for  a  moment,  I 
would  ask  him  if  he  has  done  receiving — if  God 
has  done  giving  to  him.  I  would  ask  him,  more- 
over, if  he  has  done  spending,  or  done  hoarding,  or 
done  wasting.  Now,  if  he  has  not,  he  surely  should 


"I  HAVE  DONE  GIVING."  123 

not  stop  giving.  "When  he  ceases  to  waste,  to  hoard, 
and  to  spend,  except  for  the  merest  necessaries,  then, 
he  may  stop  giving,  but  never  till  then. 

"  Done  giving ;"  that  is,  done  lending  to  the  Lord. 
Done  sowing  and  watering.  ,Done  offering  the  sac- 
rifices with  which  God  is  well  pleased.  Done  making 
the  widow's  heart  leap  for  joy,  and  bringing  on  him- 
self the  blessing  of  them  that  were  ready  to  perish. 
Well,  I  am  sorry — sorry  for  the  sake  of  the  poor 
and  the  sick  and  the  orphan  and  the  ignorant  and 
the  heathen.  But  no  less  sorry  am  I  for  the  man's 
own  sake.  Poor  man — poor  with  all  his  affluence  ; 
for  there  is  really  no  one  more  poor  than  he  who, 
with  the  ability  to  give,  has  not  the  inclination. 
He  has  it  in  his  power  to  give,  but  not  in  his 
heart.  He  is  enriched  with  abundance,  but  not 
with  liberality. 

"Done  giving;"  well,  then,  if  he  will  not  give 
his  money,  he  must  keep  it.  And  yet,  how  short 
the  time  he  can  keep  it !  Had  he  not  better  freely 
give  away  some  of  it,  than  to  wait  for  it  all  to  be 
torn  from  him?  The  thought  that  he  has  given, 
will  be  at  least  as  agreeable  a  meditation  in  his 
dying  moments,  as  the  reflection  that  he  spent,  or 
that  he  laid  up. 

I  hope  that  gentleman  who  said,  "  I  have  done 
giving,"  will  recall  his  resolution,  and  taking  re- 
venge on  himself  for  having  made  it,  give  more 
liberally  than  ever. 


124  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

23.    "I  WILL  GIVE  LIBERALLY." 

It  is  a  good  resolution,  founded  on  good  reasons, 
some  of  which  I  will  state,  in  the  hope  that  others 
may  he  induced  to  come  to  a  similar  determina- 
tion. 

I  will  give  liberally,  for  the  following  reasons, 
namely, 

1.  Because  the  ohjects  for  which  I  am  called 
upon  to  give  are  great  and  noble.     It  is  the  cause 
of  letters  and  religion,  of  man  and  God,  for  which 
my  donations  are  wanted.     The  interests  of  time 
and  eternity  both  are  involved  in  it.     Now,  it  is  a 
shame  to  give  calculatingly  and  sparingly  to  such  a 
cause,  and  for  such  objects.     If  one  gives  at  all,  he 
should  give  liberally.     Nothing  can  justify  a  per- 
son's putting  in  only  two  mites,  but  its  being  all 
his  living. 

2.  Liberal  donations  are  needed.     The  cause  not 
only  deserves  them,  but  requires  them.     It  takes  a 
great  deal  to  keep  the  present  operations  a  going; 
and  we  must  every  year  extend  the  works.     Do  you 
not  know  that  we  have  the  world  to  go  over,  and  the 
millennium  is  just  at  hand?     Look,  the  morning  of 
that  day  is  getting  bright.     We  can  almost  see  the 
sun  peering  above  the  horizon. 

3.  My  means  either  enable  me  now  to  give  Jib- 
erally,  or,  by  economy  and  self-denial,  may  be  so 
increased  as  to  enable  me  to  give  liberally.    I  will 


"I  WILL  GIVE  LIBERALLY."  125 

give  liberally  so  long  as  I  do  not  resort  to  economy 
and  self-denial ;  and  if  I  do  resort  to  them,  that  will 
enable  me  to  give  liberally. 

4.  I  will  give  liberally,  because  I  have  received 
liberally.      God  has  given  liberally.     He  has  not 
only  filled  my  cup,  but  made  it  run  over.     He  has 
given  me  "good  measure,  pressed  down,  and  shaken 
together,  and  running  over."    I  will  imitate  him  in 
my  gifts  to  others,  and  especially  in  my  donations 
to  his  cause. 

5.  I  am  liberal  in  my  expenditures,  and  therefore 
I  will  be  in  my  donations.     Why  should  I  spend 
much,  and  give  little  ?     It  is  not  because  spending 
is  more  blessed.     No ;  it  is  giving  that  is  said  to  be 
more  blessed.     The  conduct  of  a  man  whose  ex- 
penditures are  large  and  his  donations  small,  is  lit- 
erally monstrous.     I  will  not  act  so  out  of  all  pro- 
portion.    If  I  must  retrench,  I  will  retrench  from 
my  expenditures,  and  not  from  my  benefactions. 

6.  The  time  for  giving  is  short,  and  therefore  I 
will  give  liberally  while  I  have  the  opportunity  of 
giving  at  all.     Soon  I  shall  be  compelled  to  have 
done  giving. 

7.  A  blessing  is  promised  to  liberal  giving,  and 
I  want  it.     The  liberal  soul  shall  be  made  fat. 
Therefore  I  will  be  liberal.     "  And  he  that  water- 
eth,  shall  be  watered  also  himself."     Then  I  will 
water.     "  There  is  that  scattereth,  and  yet  increas- 
eth."     Therefore  I  will  scatter,  and  not  sparingly, 


126  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

but  bountifully ;  for  "  he  which  soweth  sparingly 
shall  reap  also  sparingly ;  and  he  which  soweth 
bountifully  shall  reap  also  bountifully." 

8.  I  will  give  liberally,  because  it  is  not  a  clear 
gift ;  it  is  a  loan.    "  He  that  has  pity  upon  the  poor, 
lendeth  unto  the  Lord" — lerideth  to  the  best  of  pay- 
masters, on  the  best  security,  and  at  the  highest  rate 
of  interest ;  for  he  renders  double,  aye,  a  hundred 
fold  in  this  life,  to  say  nothing  of  the  life  to  come. 
I  will  lend  him  liberally. 

9.  I  will  give  liberally,  because  the  times  are  hard 
where  the  gospel  is  not. 

10.  I  will  give  liberally,  because  there  are  many 
who  would,  but  cannot ;  and  many  that  can,  but 
will  not.     It  is  so  much  the  more  necessary  there- 
fore that  they  should  who  are  both  able  and  inclined. 
I  used  to  say,  "I  will  not  give  liberally,  because 
others  do  not.     There  is  a  richer  man  than  I  am, 
who  does  not  give  so  much  as  I  do."     But  now, 
from  the  same  premises,  I  draw  the  opposite  con- 
clusion.    Because  others  do  not  give  liberally,  I 
will. 

11.  I  have  sometimes  tried  giving  liberally,  and 
I  do  not  believe  I  have  ever  lost  any  thing  by  it.    I 
have  seen  others  try  it,  and  they  did  not  seem  to  lose 
any  thing  by  it ;  and  on  the  whole,  I  think  a  man 
is  in  no  great  danger  of  losing  who  puts  liberally 
into  the  treasury  of  the  Lord  and  possessor  of  all 
things  and  the  giver  of  every  good  and  perfect  gift. 


"I  WILL  GIVE  LIBERALLY."  127 

12.  And  finally,  when  I  ask  myself  if  I  shall 
e\er  be  sorry  for  giving  liberally,  1  hear  from  within 
a  prompt  and  most  decided  negative,  "  No,  never." 

Wherefore  I  conclude  that  I  will  give  liberally. 
It  is  a  good  resolution,  I  am  certain ;  and  now  I 
will  take  care  that  I  do  not  spoil  it  all  by  putting 
an  illiberal  construction  on  liberally.  I  will  under- 
stand it  as  meaning  freely,  cheerfully,  largely, 
whether  the  lexicographers  say  BO  or  not;  or,  in 
other  words,  as  meaning  ichat  I  ought  to  give,  and 
a  little  more.  I  will  tell  you  how  I  will  do.  An 
object  being  presented  to  me,  when  I  have  ascer- 
tained -what  justice  requires  me  to  give,  I  will  add 
something,  lest,  through  insidious  selfishness,  I  may 
have  underrated  my  ability;  and  that,  if  I  err,  I 
may  be  sure  to  err  on  the  right  side.  Then  I  will 
add  a  little  to  my  donation  out  of  generosity.  And 
when  I  have  counted  out  what  justice  requires,  and 
what  generosity  of  her  free  will  oders,  then  I  will 
think  of  Him  who,  though  he  was  rich,  for  our 
sakes  became  poor,  that  we,  through  his  poverty, 
might  be  rich ;  and  I  say  not  that  I  will  add  a  lit  t!o 
more,  but,  how  can  I  keep  back  any  thing  ? 

"  Were  the  whole  realm  of  nature  mine, 
That  were  a  present  far  too  small . 
Love  so  amazing,  so  divine, 
Demands  my  soul,  my  life,  my  all.' ' 


128  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

34.    "  THE  CALLS  ARE  SO  MANY." 

This  is  one  of  the  most  common  complaints  of 
those  who  are  called  upon  to  contribute  to  charita- 
ble objects;  "The  calls  are  so  many,"  they  say. 
Now,  let  us  inquire  into  this  matter. 

1.  Are  there  really  so  many?     Reckon  them  up. 
Perhaps  they  are  not,  after  all,  so  many  as  you  im- 
agine.    Any  thing  which  annoys  us  at  intervals,  is 
apt  to  be  considered  as  coming  oftener  than  it  really 
does.    When  a  man  has  rent  to  pay,  how  frequently 
quarter-day  seems  to  come  round.     But  it  is  not  so 
with  him  who  is  the  receiver.     The  calls  are  not,  in. 
fact,  so  many  as  you  imagine.     I  asked  a  wealthy 
lady  once,  who  thought  she  gave  a  great  deal  away 
in  charity,  to  keep  an  accurate  account  for  one  year 
of  all  she  gave  away,  particularly  to  the  religious 
charities — which  are  those  that  are  most  complained 
of;  and  I  predicted  that  she  would  find,  at  the  close 
of  the  year,  that  her  donations  had  been  less  than  she 
imagined.     She  did  so,  and  at  the  end  of  the  year 
came  to  me  and  said  she  was  perfectly  ashamed 
to  find  that  she  had  spent  so  much  and  given  so 
little.     She  found  that  the  calls  were  not  "so  very 
many." 

2.  If  the  calls  are  so  many,  yet  do  not  make  that 
a  reason  for  refusing  them  all.    I  fear  that  some  do. 
But  surely,  that  the  calls  are  so  many  is  no  reason 
that  you  should  not  comply  with  some  of  them.    It 


"THE   CALLS  ARE  SO  MANV."  129 

is  only  a  reason  why  you  should  not  comply  with 
all.  Meet  one  half  of  them  generously,  if  you  can- 
not meet  them  all.  You  acknowledge  that  there 
ought  to  be  some  calls,  when  you  complain  that  they 
are  so  many. 

3.  If  the  calls  are  many,  are  they  more  than  the 
wants?  Ought  they  not  to  be  as  many?  Would 
you  have  the  calls  fewer  than  the  wants?  That 
would  never  do ;  then  some  wants  would  never  be 
supplied.  Besides,  you  should  consider  who  makes 
or  permits  the  wants,  and  therefore  the  calls,  to 
be  so  many,  lest  your  complaint  cast  a  reflection  on 
God.  If  the  calls  are  so  many,  too  many,  and  we 
must  dispense  with  some,  which  shall  they  be  ? 
Widows  and  orphans,  and  the  poor  generally,  you 
dare  not,  as  you  fear  God,  except  from  your  chari- 
ties. Will  you  refuse  the  call  df  the  Bible  agent,  or 
the  tract  agent?  Will  you  withhold  from  foreign 
missions,  or  from  home  missions,  or  from  both? 
Or  will  you  say,  "We  will  contribute  to  send  out 
and  support  missionaries  both  at  home  and  abroad, 
but  we  will  not  aid  in  their  education?  Let  them 
get  that  as  they  can.  Let  them  make  their  way 
through  the  academy,  the  college,  and  the  theologi- 
cal seminary  as  they  can.  And  let  Sunday-schools 
establish  and  support  themselves ;  and  temperance 
agents  see,  since  they  are  so  much  in  favor  of  absti- 
nence, if  they  cannot  get  along  without  the  staff  of 
life."  For  my  part,  I  do  not  know  what  calls  to 

Prac.  Thought*.  9 


130  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

except,  and  therefore  I  judge  the  safer  way  to  be  to 
receive  none. 

4.  If  the  calls  are  many,  the  expenditures  are 
more ;  and  we  not  only  spend,  but  waste,  in  more 
ways  than  we  give. 

5.  If  the  calls  you  receive  are  so  many,  suppose, 
in  order  to  avoid  them,  that  you  make  some.    Turn 
agent  for  some  society,  and  you  shall  see  how  much 
more  pleasant  it  is  to  make  calls  than  to  receive 
them.    We  will  excuse  you  from  contributing,  if  you 
will  solicit.     But  that  you  would  not  like  at  all. 
"You  cannot  bear  begging.    It  is  the  most  unpleas- 
ant thing  in  the  world  to  apply  to  people  for  money." 
Very  well ;  if  you  decline  this  branch  of  the  alter- 
native, then  do  not  complain  of  the  other.     If  you 
will  not  make  the  calls,  you  must  sit  still  and  re- 
ceive them.      It  is  the  easier  part ;  and  you  ought 
to  be  good-natured  when  you  receive  one  of  these 
calls — aye,  and  even  grateful  to  the  man  who  comes 
to  you,  that  he  affords  you  another  opportunity  of 
offering  one   of  the  sacrifices  with  which  God  is 
well  pleased,  without  going  out  of  your  way  to  do 
it.     Others  must  go  about  to  do  good,  but  you  can 
sit  still  and  do  good. 

G.  If  the  calls  are  so  many,  this  importunity  will 
not  last  long.  Not  more  than  seventy  or  eighty 
years  does  it  ever  continue.  If  it  is  an  annoyance, 
you  can  bear  it  a  few  years.  In  eternity  you  will 
never  receive  these  or  any  other  calls.  I  knew 


"I  CAN'T  AFFORD  IT."  131 

several  rich  men  whose  last  calls  were  made  on 
them  in  1833. 

Do  these  calls  pester  you?  They  bless  others. 
Yonder  is  a  poor  woman  reading  the  Bihle  which 
your  money  paid  for.  And  there  is  another  weep- 
ing over  a  tract  which  she  owes  to  your  donation. 
And  there  is  a  third  blessing  the  good  people  that 
support  domestic  missions :  and  there  is  a  heathen 
mother,  who  perhaps  would  have  immolated  her 
child,  if  your  contribution  had  not  helped  to  send 
her  the  gospel.  Do  you  hear  that  young  man? 
How  well  he  preaches.  You  assisted  to  educate 
him.  Dear  friend,  do  not  complain,  but  welcome 
every  call ;  treat  all  the  agents  with  civility,  and  do 
as  much  as  you  any  way  can  for  the  various  benev- 
olent objects;  for  "the  time  is  short,"  and  all  the 
regret  which  your  liberality  will  occasion  you,  I 
will  consent  to  suffer 


35.   "I  CAN'T  AFFORD  IT." 

This  is  another  of  the  common  excuses  for  not 
giving.  A  person  being  applied  to  in  behalf  of  this 
or  that  good  object,  says,  "I  approve  the  object.  It 
ought  to  be  encouraged,  and  I  am  sorry  I  cannot 
aid  it.  But  so  it  is.  The  calls  on  me  are  so  many, 
and  my  means  are  so  limited,  I  cannot  afford  it." 
Now,  it  may  be  he  is  mistaken.  Perhaps  he  can 


132  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

aiTordit.  The  heart  is  very  deceitful.  But  admitting 
that  he  cannot  afford  it,  as  is  often  the  case,  yet  does 
this  excuse  him?  Is  the  want  of  ability  a  sufficient 
apology  ?  By  no  means.  There  is  another  thing  to 
be  considered — the  cause  of  his  inability.  Wliy  can 
he  not  afford  it  ?  We  must  go  back  one  step,  and 
inquire  how  it  comes  to  pass  that  he  is  so  destitu-te  of 
means  as  to  be  unable  to  give  to  this  and  that  good 
object.  What  if  he  lias  not  the  ability,  provided  he 
might  have  it  ?  Now,  as  it  regards  the  cause  of  the 
'inability. 

1.  Perhaps  he  does  not  earn  as  much  as  he  might. 
In  that  case,  his  not  being  able  to  afford  it  is  no 
excuse.    All  he  has  to  do  is  to  earn  a  little  more,  and 
then  he  can  afford  it.     Let  only  his  idle  hours  be 
fewer — let  him  but  work  a  little  longer,  or  a  little 
harder,  and  there  will  be  no  difficulty.     And  why 
should  not  a  man  earn  to  give,  as  well  as  earn  to 
eat,  drink,  and  put  on  ?    Are  these  last  more  blessed 
than  giving  ?    Why  should  you  not  put  forth  a  little 
extra  effort,  if  it  be  necessary  to  enable  you  to  pro- 
mote the  cause  of  humanity  and  religion?    We  see 
that  this  man  is  the  author  of  his  inability,  and 
therefore  it  is  no  excuse.     He  could  afford  it,  if  he 
would  but  take  certain  simple  and  obvious  meas- 
ures to  do  so. 

2.  Perhaps  the  case  may  be  that  he  does  not  save 
as  much  as  he  might.    He  is  not  idle,  but  he  is  prod- 
igal.    He  earns  enough,  but  he  does  not  economi 


"I  CA3TT  AFFORD  IT."  133 

cally  use  it.  Now,  a  penny  saved  is  equal  to  a  penny 
earned ;  and  it  is  all  one  to  the  treasury  of  charity 
whether  that  which  it  receives  comes  of  economy 
or  of  industry.  The  person  of  whom  I  now  speak 
earns  it,  but  he  does  not  save  it.  Hence  his  inabil- 
ity. His  income  is  more  than  sufficient  for  the  com- 
fortable subsistence  of  himself  and  those  dependent 
ou  him,  yet  he  is  so  inconsiderate  in  his  expenditures, 
wastes  so  much,  that  he  has  nothing  left  to  give. 
Now,  I  would  ask  if  it  is  not  worth  while  to  prac- 
tise economy  for  the  sake  of  being  able  to  exercise 
liberality;  to  save  for  the  sake  of  having  something 
to  give  to  the  cause  of  the  Lord  ?  Is  it  not  worth 
all  the  care  which  economy  requires? 

3.  But  perhaps  I  have  not  suggested  the  true 
cause  of  the  inability.  If,  however,  the  apologist 
will  allow  me  the  liberty  of  a  little  survey  and 
criticism,  I  think  I  can  ascertain  why  he  cannot 
afford  it.  And  first,  I  will  scan  his  person.  Oh,  I  see 
why  you  cannot  afford  it.  You  wear  your  money. 
You  have  got  so  much  of  your  earnings  or  income 
on  your  person,  that  it  is  no  wonder  that  you  cannot 
afford  to  give.  Why,  there  is  one  article  worn  over 
the  shoulders,  that  cost  one  hundred  dollars,  or 
more.  Now,  I  do  not  say,  take  it  off;  but  I  do  say, 
that  while  it  is  on,  you  have  no  right  to  plead,  "I 
cannot  afford  it,"  for  you  wear  a  proof  that  you  can 
afford  it.  Next,  I  will  enter  the  house.  The  size 
and  situation  of  it  is  perhaps  unnecessarily  expen- 


134  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

sive ;  ^,nd  then  the  furniture.  Here  the  wonder 
ceases — the  mystery  is  explained.  I  see  plainly 
enough  why  you  cannot  afford  it. 

Now,  again  I  say,  I  am  not  one  of  those  who 
would  have  you  sell  off  your  furniture  and  move 
out  of  the  house  you  occupy,  for  God  has  given  us 
"richly  all  things  to  enjoy;"  but  while  you  live  in 
the  manner  you  do,  pray  do  not  plead  that  you  can- 
not afford  it  when  one  asks  you  to  give  to  the  cause 
of  some  charity.  Now  the  table  is  set.  The  service 
is  very  fine.  Distant  China  has  contributed  of  its 
porcelain,  and  Potosi  of  the  product  of  its  mines  to 
enrich  it.  What  a  display  of  silver.  I  see  why  you 
cannot  afford  it.  You  have  melted  the  dollars  by 
which  you  could  have  afforded  it,  into  plate.  Now, 
either  send  that  back  to  the  mint  again,  or  else  do 
not  send  away  the  agent  for  that  Christian  institu- 
tion empty-handed.  The  dinner  is  spread.  Many 
and  rich  are  the  dishes.  I  do  not  complain.  Only 
when  you  have  such  a  table  before  you,  dare  not  to 
say  that  you  cannot  afford  the  money  which  shall 
purchase  and  send  a  little  of  the  bread  of  life  to  the 
destitute  and  perishing.  Then  follows  the — wines, 
I  should  say.  "  Well,  what  is  the  harm  ?  Even  the 
temperance-pledge  excepts  wine."  Be  it  so.  Only 
do  not  say  again,  "I  cannot  afford  it,"  to  him  who 
comes  to  plead  before  you  the  cause  of  the  orphan, 
the  ignorant,  the  unevangelized.  Or,  if  you  excuse 
yourself,  tell  the  whole  truth ;  say,  "For  my  wine,  I 


"I  CAN'T  AFFORD  IT."  135 

cannot  aflbrd  it."  There  drives  up  a  carriage.  It 
is  in  fine  style :  one  servant  on  the  box,  and  one 
behind ;  a  noble  span.  Yet  the  gentleman  and  lady 
who  ride  in  that  carriage,  when  one  comes  and  tells 
them  of  the  poor  heathen  who  are  groping  their  way 
in  the  dark  to  eternity,  haughtily,  perhaps,  reply 
that  they  have  nothing  to  give.  0  no,  they  cannot 
gii'e,  for  they  must  ride  in  state.  But  here  is  another 
who  dresses  and  lives  very  plainly ;  yet  fie  cannot 
aflbrd  it.  Why,  what  is  the  matter?  0,  his  money 
is  in  the  stocks,  and  he  cannot  touch  the  principal ; 
and  there  are  his  children  for  whom  he  must  make 
a  liberal  provision. 

Friend,  hear  me  :  you  can  aflbrd  it,  if  you  will. 
If  you  have  not  the  ability,  you  can  acquire  it.  You 
can  earn  more ;  or  you  can  save  more.  You  can 
\pend  less.  You  can  afford  it  out  of  your  furniture, 
your  dress,  your  table,  your  equipage  ;  or  perhaps 
rver  and  above  it  all.  You  can  aflbrd  it,  and  you 
mght  to  aflbrd  it.  You  must  afford  it.  Come, 
aow,  and  resolve  that  you  will.  Say  no  more,  "  I 
cannot  afford  it,"  but,  "I  will  afford  it."  You  can 
afford  to  indulge  yourself  when  you  wish — to  take 
your  pleasure — to  gratify  your  children.  And  can 
you  not  afford  to  feed  the  hungry,  to  clothe  the 
naked,  and  to  send  the  balm  of  life  abroad  into  a 
diseased  and  dying  world  ?  It  is  very  strange ! 
Are  you  a  Christian?  As  for  me,  "I  cannot  aflbrd 
not  to  give;"  there  is  so  much  gain  in  giving,  so 


136  PBACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

much  loss  in  not  giving,  that  if  I  cannot  aflbrd  any 
thing  else,  I  must  afford  this.  Some  say  they  are 
too  poor  to  give,  but  I  arn  too  poor  not  to  give ;  and, 
moreover,  I  can  no  longer  afford  to  give  so  little  as 
heretofore  I  have  given.  Indeed,  I  must  soiv  more 
bountifully,  for  I  want  to  reap  also  bountifully. 
This  parsimony  in  the  use  of  seed-money,  is  poor 
policy. 


26.    AN  EXAMPLE  OF  LIBERALITY. 

I  am  going  to  give  an  example  of  liberality. 
But  Avhere  do  you  think  I  am  going  to  take  it  from, 
and  what  persons  hold  up  as  an  example  of  liber- 
ality? Not  Christians — though  they  were,  in  the 
apostolic  age  of  Christianity,  notable  examples  of 
liberality,  many  disciples  literally  doing  as  did  their 
Master,  impoverishing  themselves  for  his  cause  ; 
and  though  since  that  time  there  have  been  others, 
and  are  now  not  a  few  of  a  kindred  spirit.  The 
example  I  propose  to  give  is"  taken  from  the  history 
of  the  Jews.  Some  will  wonder  that  I  go  to  the 
Jews  for  an  example  of  liberality.  But  I  wish,  for 
my  part,  that  Christians  were  only  as  generous  as 
the  Jews  once  were,  whatever  they  may  be  now. 

The  case  to  which  I  refer  is  related  in  Exodus, 
chapter  35.  The  tabernacle  was  to  be  erected  and 
furnished  ;  and  for  this  purpose  various  and  very 
precious  materials  were  requisite.  He  who  gave 


LIBERALITY.  137 

his  people  bread  and  water  by  miracle,  could  have 
miraculously  furnished  all  that  was  necessary  for 
the  tabernacle,  just  as  he  can  now  convert  the  hea- 
then without  the  help  of  men  and  means".  But  he 
did  not  choose  to  do  it,  as  now  he  does  not  choose  to 
save  the  world  without  employing  human  instru- 
mentality. God  does  not  every  thing  which  he  is 
able  to  do.  Some  people  seem  to  think  that  they 
are  under  no  obligation  to  attempt  any  thing  which 
God  can  do  without  them. 

The  plan  adopted  for  obtaining  the  materials 
was  this  :  Moses,  in  a  full  assembly  of  the  people, 
gave  the  following  notice :  "  This  is  the  thing 
which  the  Lord  commanded,  saying,  Take  ye  from 
among  you  an  oflering  unto  the  Lord  :  whosoever 
is  of  a  willing  heart,  let  him  bring  it,  an  oflering 
of  the  Lord ;  gold,  and  silver,  and  brass,"  etc.  This 
was  all  the  agency  that  was  employed  for  the  col- 
lection of  all  those  costly  materials.  How  in  con- 
trast stands  this  to  our  necessarily  numerous,  ex- 
pensive, and  laborious  agencies.  Here  was  a  simple 
notice  given — a  bare  statement  made  that  such  and 
such  things  were  wanted.  Nor  were  the  people 
called  on  to  give  on  the  spot,  or  to  pledge  their  do- 
nations. They  were  not  taken  unawares,  and  hur- 
ried into  an  exercise  of  liberality.  Time  was  given 
them  for  consideration.  After  the  notice  the  con- 
gregation was  dismissed.  Nor  was  it  made  the  ab- 
solute duty  of  the  people  to  give.  A  command  was 


138  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

indeed  issued  on  the  subject,  but  individuals  weie 
left  free  to  give  or  not,  as  they  pleased  :  "Whoso- 
ever is  of  a  willing  heart,  let  him  bring  it."  And 
it  appears  from  Exodus  25  :  2,  where  the  subject 
is  first  introduced,  that  Moses  was  not  to  receive 
any  offering  that  was  not  given  willingly  and 
cheerfully  :  "Of  every  man  that  giveth  it  willing- 
ly with  his  heart,  ye  shall  take  rny  offering." 

By  the  way,  may  not  this  be  a  rule  which  should 
be  regarded  now — not  to  receive  an  offering  into 
the  Lord's  treasury,  if  there  be  any  evidence  of  its 
being  reluctantly  given  ?  If  nothing  was  to  be  re- 
ceived for  the  work  of  the  tabernacle  but  what  was 
given  with  the  heart,  why  should  heartless  dona- 
tions be  accepted  for  the  edification  and  extension 
of  the  church  ?  It  has  occurred  to  rne,  that  perhaps 
one  reason  why  the  means  which  our  benevolent 
societies  employ  effect  no  more — why  our  Bibles 
and  tracts,  and  the  labors  of  our  missionaries,  are 
not  mbre  extensively  blessed,  is,  that  these  opera- 
tions are  not  sustained  and  carried  on  by  purely 
free-will  offerings.  A  great  deal  that  goes  to  sus- 
tain them  is  grudgingly  given.  I  know  it  may  be 
said  that  if  we  reject  all  but  free-will  offerings,  our 
means  will  not  suffice.  If  that  should  be  the  case, 
yet  I  doubt  not  less  money,  cheerfully  contributed, 
would  accomplish  more  than  a  larger  amount  drawn 
out  of  the  pockets  of  an  unwilling  and  complaining 
people.  But  I  do  not  believe  that  the  sum  total  of 


LIBERALITY.  139 

receipts  would  be  less.  Was  there  any  deficiency 
in  the  offerings  contributed  for  the  tabernacle  ?  So 
far  from  it,  there  was  a  superabundance.  The  ar- 
tisans came  and  told  Moses,  saying,  "  The  people 
bring  much  more  than  enough  for  the  service  of 
the  work."  Accordingly,  Moses  forbade  any  more 
offerings  being  brought.  "  So  the  people  were  re- 
strained from  bringing,  for  the  stuff  they  had  was 
sufficient  for  all  the  work  to  make  it,  and  too 
much."  The  liberality  went  far  beyond  the  ne- 
cessity. Christians  give  now  no  such  examples  of 
liberality  for  the  church.  Now  much  less  than 
enough  is  received  ;  and  that,  though  the  notice  is 
oft  repeated,  and  though  more  than  a  mere  notice 
is  given — though  warm  and  earnest  appeals  are 
made,  and  the  greatest  urgency  used  ;  and  though 
new  arguments  are  employed,  such  as  could  not 
have  been  used  with  these  Jews  What  a  founda- 
tion for  argument  and  appeal  is  laid  in  the  love  and 
death  of  Christ !  What  convincing  force,  what  per- 
suasive efficacy  ought  there  not  to  be  to  the  mind 
and  heart  of  every  follower  of  Jesus,  in  the  logic  of 
that  passage  which  Paul  used  so  successfully  with 
the  Corinthians  :  "  Ye  know  the  grace  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  that,  though  he  was  rich,  yet  for  your 
sakes  he  became  poor,  that  ye,  through  his  poverty, 
might  be  rich."  The  Jews  did  not  know  that ;  yet 
how  liberally  they  gave — more  titan  enough!  But 
now,  with  all  our  knowledge,  less  than  enough  is 


140  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

received  ;  and  that,  though  after  the  public  appli- 
cation and  appeal  are  made,  the  people  are  icaited 
on,  and  the  application  and  appeal  are  renewed  in 
private.  Moses  sent  no  one  round,  from  tent  to 
tent,  to  gather  the  contributions  of  the  people. 
No ;  these  Jews  brought  them.  But,  ah,  how 
little  do  Christians  now  bring  to  the  treasury  of 
the  Lord  !  How  small  a  proportion  of  the  money 
nsed  for  the  work  of  the  Lord  is  brought!  No  ;  it 
has  to  be  sent  after.  The  benevolence  of  the 
church  now  complies;  it  does  not  offer.  It  does, 
to  be  sure,  stand  still  and  do  some  good ;  but  it  does 
not  go  about  doing  good.  All  the  labor  and  trouble 
connected  with  giving  is  declined.  It  is  considei'ed 
nowadays  to  be  a  very  good  excuse  for  not  giving 
to  a  well-known  object  of  benevolence,  if  the  per- 
son can  say  that  he  has  not  been  called  on  to  give. 
Not  called  on  !  Did  your  Master  wait  to  be  called 
on?  Did  his  charity  defer  its  action  until  applica- 
tion was  made  to  it  ?  Formerly  it  was  held  that  the 
disciple  should  be  as  his  Master.  In  other  days 
Christ  was  regarded  as  the  model,  and  that  Chris- 
tianity was  not  thought  any  thing  of  which  did  not 
include  an  imitation  of  Christ. 

Would  it  not  be  considered  as  a  very  unwise  pro- 
ceeding on  the  part  of  an  agent  now,  should  he, 
after  stating  an  object,  immediately  dismiss  the 
people,  and  leave  it  entirely  optional  with  them  to 
give  or  not?  Would  he  be  likely  to  hoar  from  all 


LIBERALITY.  141 

of  them  again  ?  But  Moses  did  so.  He  dismissed 
them;  "and  all  the  congregation  of  the  children 
of  Israel  departed  from  the  presence  of  Moses." 
But  the  very  next  verse  says,  "  they  came  and 
brought  the  Lord's  offering."  There  was  nothing 
lost  to  the  cause  by  this  arrangement :  "  They 
came,  both  men  and  women,  as  many  as  were  will- 
ing-hearted." They  all  did  it  cheerfully. 

But  some  may  say,  "  It  is  no  wonder  they  gave ; 
what  use  had  they  in  the  wilderness  for  their  money 
and  substance  ?"  But  observe  what  articles  they 
contributed — gold  and  silver,  and  precious  stones, 
which  men  value,  whether  they  have  any  particu- 
lar use  for  them  or  not.  Nor  these  only,  but  their 
personal  ornaments,  "bracelets,  and  ear-rings,  and 
rings,  and  tablets,  all  jewels  of  gold."  You  see 
they  gave  things  which  are  valued  under  all  cir- 
cumstances. Nor  could  it  be  said  that  they  gave 
generously  because  they  were  in  prosperous  busi- 
ness. Some  persons  say  they  are  always  willing 
to  give  freely  when  they  are  making  money.  Now, 
the  Israelites  were  not  making  money,  nor  were 
they  passing  through  a  gold  country,  yet  they  gave 
liberally — far  beyond  the  liberality  of  prosperous 
Christians  generally.  Nor  was  it  a  single  donation 
they  made.  We  read  in  the  thirty-sixth  chapter, 
"  and  they  brought  yet  unto  him  free-offerings 
every  morning."  They  kept  it  up  from  day  to  day; 
and  how  long  they  would  have  gone  on,  if  not  re 


142  PRACTICAL    THOUGHTS. 

strained  from  giving  more,  no  one  can  tell.  I  won- 
der when  we  shall  have  to  restrain  Christians  from 
giving.  What  a  different  state  of  things  we  find 
now!  We  talk  about  "stubborn  Jews,  that  unbe- 
lieving race,"  but  there  was  one  generation  oi 
them,  at  least,  that  were  not  near  as  obstinate  in 
holding  on  to  their  money  and  substance  as  the 
present  race  of  Christians. 


«y.    ANOTHER  EXAMPLE  OF  LIBERALITY. 

The  first  example  was  taken  from  the  history  of 
the  Jews.  The  one  I  am  now  to  give  is  taken 
from  the  records  of  Christianity.  And  yet  it  is  not 
in  any  history  of  the  modern  church  that  I  find  it. 
They  are  not  the  Christians  of  the  present  day  that 
I  am  going  to  hold  up  as  a  model  of  bountifulness. 
The  reader  will  find  the  account  in  the  eighth  and 
ninth  chapters  of  the  second  epistle  to  the  Corin- 
thians. It  relates  to  the  Christians  of  Macedonia. 
Paul,  wishing  to  excite  the  Corinthians  to  the  ex- 
ercise of  liberality,  tells  them  whaf  their  brethren 
of  Macedonia  had  done — how  liberally  they  had 
given.  The  account  is  very  remarkable  in  several 
respects. 

1.  These  Macedonian  Christians  gave,  though 
they  were  very  poor — in  "deep  poverty."  2  Cor. 
8  :  2.  They  had  the  best  of  all  excuses  for  not  giv- 


LIBERALITY.  143 

ing.  They  might,  with  the  greatest  propriety,  have 
pleaded  poverty.  I  do  not  see,  for  my  part,  how 
they  gave  at  all.  But  somehow  or  other  they  made 
out  to  give,  and  to  give  liberally.  Their  poverty 
does  not  seem  to  have  stood  in  their  way  in  the 
least.  It  is  even  said  that  :<  their  deep  poverty 
abounded  unto  the  riches  of  their  liberality."  Now, 
if  their  deep  poverty  so  abounded,  it  occurs  to  me 
to  ask,  what  would  not  their  great  ricftes  have  done, 
had  they  been  as  wealthy  as  some  American  Chris- 
tians? The  truth  is,  as  the  proverb  says,  "When 
there  is  a  will,  there  is  always  a  way."  Having 
it  in  their  hearts  to  give,  they  contrived  by  dint  of 
eome  ingenuity,  and  not  a  little  self-denial,  to  get 
it  into  their  power  to  give.  Such  liberal  souls  had 
they,  that  it  made  their  very  poverty  abound  unto 
the  riches  of  their  liberality. 

2.  They  gave  not  only  to  the  full  extent  of  their 
ability,  but  even  beyond  it.  "  For  to  their  power, 
I  bear  record,  yea,  and  beyond  their  power,"  they 
gave.  So  testifies  the  apostle.  The  Christians  of 
our  day  do  not  give  more  than  they  are  able.  I  wish 
it  could  be  said  that  they  give  according  to  their 
ability.  Now,  the  idea  of  giving  as  much  as  one 
can,  is  almost  laughed  at.  But  it  was  no  joke  in 
former  times.  "  But  how  did  they  contrive  to  give 
beyond  their  power?"  one  will  ask.  "This  looks  a 
little  contradictory."  Well,  I  suppose  it  means,  that 
they  gave  beyond  what,  on  the  usual  principles  ol 


144  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

computation,  would  have  been  judged  to  be  their 
ability;  and  that  on  the  score  of  justice,  and  even  of 
generosity,  they  might  have  been  let  oft' for  less. 

"What  improvident  persons!"  some  will  say. 
"  How  they  must  have  neglected  their  families ! 
Are  we  not  told  to  provide  for  our  own ;  and  that 
he  who  does  not,  has  denied  the  faith,  and  is  worse 
than  an  infidel?"  Yes,  we  are  told  so.  But  for  all 
that,  it  does  not  appear  that  these  Macedonians 
were  censured  as  worse  than  infidels.  They  were 
-even  commended,  as  Christians  whose  example  was 
worthy  of  all  imitation. 

3.  They  gave  willingly,  verse  3.     They  did  not 
give  beyond  their  disposition,  though  they  did  be- 
yoiid  their  ability.     They  had  it  in  their  hearts  to 
give  even  more.     It  was  done,  "not  grudgingly,  or 
of  necessity."     No  one  said,  as  is  sometimes  said 
now,  "Well,  I  suppose  I  must  give  you  something." 
Nor  was  their  willingness  the  effect  of  any  appeals 
made  to  them.     They  were  "  willing  of  themselves" 
the  apostle  testifies.     It  was  entirely  spontaneous 
The  apostles  had  not  to  entreat  them  to  give;  but 
they  had  earnestly  to  entreat  the  apostles  to  receive 
their  gift.     "Praying  us  with  much  entreaty,  that 
we  would  receive  the  gift.'"      It  is  not  so  now. 
Now,  the  begging  is  too  much  on  the  other  side. 

4.  They   gave   altogether  beyond  the    apostles' 
expectations.    "Not  as  we  hoped,"  says  Paul.    Our 
agents  are  not   often   BO   agreeably  disappointed. 


LIBERALITY.  145 

Their  fears  arc  more  apt  to  be  realized,  than  their 
hopes  exceeded. 

5.  But  I  see  how  it  was  they  came  to  give  so  liber- 
ally. It  was  owing  to  "  the  grace  of  God  bestowed  " 
on  them,  as  it  is  said  in  verse  1 .  That  always  makes 
people  liberal.  Grace  is  a  generous  principle.  There 
is  nothing  opens  the  heart  like  it.  Under  the  influ- 
ence of  this  grace,  they  "  first  gave  their  own  selves 
to  the  Lord."  Now,  when  a  man  has  given  away 
himself,  it  is  easy  to  give  what  only  ap'perlains  to 
him.  The  great  matter  is  to  give  the  person;  the 
property  follows  as  a  matter  of  course.  Indeed,  it  is 
included  in  the  first  gift.  I  suppose  the  reason  that 
some  give  no  more  property  to  the  Lord's  cause  is, 
that  they  have  not  given  themselves  to  him.  They 
have  not  begun  right. 

G.  I  suppose  also  that  these  Macedonians  were 
influenced  to  the  exercise  of  liberality  by  the  con- 
sideration which  Paul  uses  with  the  Corinthians  in 
verse  9  :  "  Ye  know  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  that  though  he  was  rich,"  etc.  They  thought, 
that  the  disciples  ought  to  do  like  their  Master.  1 
conclude,  moreover,  that  they  held  the  doctrine, 
that  giving  is  sowing,  and  that  men  reap  in  propor- 
tion to  what  they  sow ;  and  since  they  wished  to 
reap  bountifully,  they  sowed  bountifully.  They 
knew,  too,  that  God  was  able  to  make  all  grace 
abound  towards  them ;  that  they,  always  havii.g 
all  sufficiency  in  all  things,  might  abound  to  every 

Prar.  ThouifhU.  10 


146  PRACTICAL   THOUGHTS. 

good  work.    2  Cor.  9  : 8.    They  were  not  at  all  con- 
cerned about  the  consequences  of  their  liberality. 

It  should  not  be  forgotten,  that  they  gave  for  the 
benefit  of  people  a  great  way  off — the  poor  saints 
at  Jerusalem.  They  might  have  said  that  they  had 
objects  enough  at  home,  and  where  was  the  necessity 
of  going  abroad  for  them.  But  it  seems  distance 
had  not  that  weight  with  them  that  it  has  with  some 
now.  The  wants  of  the  poor  saints  at  Jerusalem 
touched  their  hearts,  and  they  contributed  for  their 
relief,  though  they  were  poor,  very  poor  themselves. 
I  don't  know  but  I  might  have  made  it  with  propriety 
a  distinct  head,  that  they  seem  to  have  been  even 
poorer  than  those  for  whom  they  gave ;  for  theira 
was  deep  poverty.  When  we  give  to  evangelize  poor 
souls  in  heathen  lands,  we  do  not  give  to  those  who 
are  as  well  off  as  we  are.  We  have  no  such  objects 
at  home  as  they  are.  Finally,  what  a  noble  exam- 
ple of  liberality  is  here ;  how  worthy  of  imitation, 
by  American  Christians.  We  need  much  that  the 
spirit  of  these  men  of  Macedonia  should  come  over 
and  help  us. 


LIB  K  II A  LIT  V.  147 

38.   MORE  ABOUT  LIBERALITY. 

In  my  opinion,  there  is  nothing  which  lays  tho 
church  more  open  to  infidel  attack  and  contempt, 
than  its  parsimony  to  the  cause  of  Christ.  Profes- 
sors of  religion,  in  general,  give  nothing  in  com- 
parison to  what  they  ought  to  give  Some  literally 
give  nothing,  or  somewhere  in  that  immediate  neigh- 
borhood. I  shall  not  inquire  whether  such  persons 
are  really  Christian  men.  One  might  almost  ques- 
tion whether  they  are  human. 

I  have  used  the  word  give;  I  must  correct  my 
language.  Deliver  up,  I  ought  to  say,  when  speak- 
ing of  Christians  who  have  so  often  acknowledged 
themselves  as  not  their  own,  but  tJiemsdvcs  and 
tlteirs  to  be  the  Lord's.  Not  a  cent,  or  not  much 
more,  will  some  of  these  deliver  up  of  all  that  their 
Lord  has  given  them  in  trust.  What  stewards  we 
Christians  are.  We  act  as  if  we  were  undisputed 
owners  and  sovereign  proprietors  of  all,  when  we 
know,  and  if  pressed,  acknowledge,  it  is  no  such 
thing.  The  infidels  know  that  we  profess  to  be  but 
stewards,  and  that  in  our  devotional  hours  we  write 
on  every  thing  we  have,  "This  is  the  Lord's;"  and 
they  naturally  expect  to  see  some  correspondence 
between  our  profession  and  practice  ;  and  when  they 
perceive  that  in  this  instance  it  is  but  bare  profession, 
and  that  we  do  not  mean  any  thing  by  it,  they  are 
very  apt  to  conclude  that  this  is  true  of  our  religion 


[48  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

generally.  Moreover,  these  shrewd  characters  see 
common  humanity  constraining  men  of  the  world 
to  greater  liberality  than  the  love  of  Christ  con- 
strains his  reputed  disciples  to  exercise ;  and  that, 
though  they  hear  Christians  continually  saying  that 
there  is  no  principle  which  has  such  power  to  carry 
men  out  to  deeds  and  sacrifices  of  benevolence  as 
the  love  of  Christ.  What  must  they  conclude  from 
this?  Either  that  there  is  no  such  principle,  or 
that  Christians  do  not  feel  the  force  of  it. 

Again,  infidels  hear  us  speak  of  giving,  as  lend- 
ing to  the  Lord.  Now,  they  do  not  believe  any  such 
thing ;  but  since  we  do,  they  are  astonished  that  we 
do  not  lend  more  liberally  to  such  a  paymaster,  and 
on  such  security.  They  are  in  the  habit  of  lending 
liberally,  and  they  wonder  Christians  do  not.  They 
hear  us  also  repeating  and  admiring  that  sentiment, 
"It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive."  Must 
they  not  think  us  insincere  in  our  commendations 
of  this  sentiment,  or  else  that  we  have  very  faint 
aspirations  after  the  more  blessed  part,  when  they 
look  on  and  see'  with  how  much  more  complacency 
and  good-humor  we  receive  a  great  deal  than  give 
a  little  ? 

But  about  the  parsimony  of  Christians.  I  do  not 
hesitate  to  say,  having  well  considered  the  import  of 
my  words,  that  men  are  not  so  mean — I  must  use 
the  word — to  any  cause,  as  Christians,  in  general, 
are  to  Christ's  cause.  They  give  more  sparingly  to 


LIBERALITY.  H9 

it  than  to  any  other.  Just  think  of  the  American 
Bible  Society  receiving  scarcely  one  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars  a  year  from  these  United  States,  to  give 
the  Bible  to  the  country  and  to  the  world.  There  is 
one  fact  for  you.  More  is  often  given  to  carry  a  po- 
litical election  in  a  single  limited  district ;  and  some 
professors  of  religion  will  give  more  to  promote  such 
an  object  than  to  help  on  the  conversion  of  the 
world.  I  should  not  wonder  if  this  article  were 
read  by  some  who  have  done  so  this  very  year. 

Many  persons  never  give  until  they  have  done 
every  thing  else ;  and  when  any  pressure  occurs,  it 
is  the  first  thing  they  stop  doing.  They  go  on  spend- 
ing, not  only  for  necessaries  and  comforts,  but  even 
for  luxuries,  never  minding  the  pressure.  They  only 
stop  giving ;  commencing  retrenchment  with  their 
donations,  and  generally  ending  it  with  them.  They 
are  liberal  still  for  every  thing  but  charity.  You 
could  never  suppose,  to  look  at  their  dress,  equipage, 
furniture,  table,  etc.,  that  the  times  were  any  way 
hard.  No,  they  forget  that,  till  they  are  called  on 
to  give ;  then  they  feel  the  pressure  of  the  times. 

The  manner  in  which  some  persons  give  is  wor- 
thy of  no  very  commendatory  notice.  They  say, 
when  applied  to,  "Well,  I  suppose  I  must  give  you 
something."  Mark  the  word  must,  where  icill  ought 
to  be ;  and  give,  where  contribute,  or  strictly  speak- 
ing, yield  up,  should  have  been ;  and  you — give  you. 
It  is  no  such  thing.  The  man  is  no  beggar.  He  is 


150  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

not  asking  any  thing  for  himself.  He  has  himself 
given  to  the  same  object ;  and  more  than  money — his 
time  and  thought,  his  cares  and  efforts.  Nay,  per- 
haps has  given  his  own  person  to  the  service  which 
he  asks  others  to  aid  by  their  pecuniary  contribu- 
tions. Christians,  so  called,  talk  of  giving  to  sup- 
port missionaries,  as  if  they  laid  the  missionaries 
under  some  obligation  to  them.  Preposterous!  How 
it  sounds  to  hear  a  British  Christian  indulge  such 
a  remark  in  reference  to  the  richly-gifted  and  pro- 
foundly learned  Martyn,  who  when  he  might  have 
shone  at  home,  went  into  the  sickly  East  to  hold  up 
the  light  of  life  in  those  dark  places.  To  call  men 
who  give  themselves  to  the  work  of  the  Lord,  and 
to  labor  and  die  for  their  fellow-men,  the  protegees, 
beneficiaries,  and  obligated  dependants  of  us  who 
live  and  luxuriate  at  home,  is  really  too  bad — men 
who,  when  the  alternative  is  to  go  or  send,  consent 
to  the  weightier  branch  of  the  alternative,  and  go ; 
that  they  should  be  looked  upon  as  inferior  to  us, 
who  choose  the  lighter  part  of  the  alternative,  and 
only  send,  I  say  it  is  too  bad.  "I  must  give  you 
something."  Really ! 

I  do  not  wonder,  for  my  part,  that  God  does  not 
give  "the  kingdom  and  dominion,  and  the  greatness 
of  the  kingdom  under  the  whole  heaven,"  to  the 
present  generation  of  saints.  Their  souls  are  net 
sufficiently  expanded  to  receive  it.  It  will  require 
a  race  of  Christians  of  great  hearts  to  take  posses- 


LIBERALITY.  151 

sion  of  the  world  in  the  name  of  Jesus — Christians 
•who  shall  be  constrained  by  his  love,  and  who  shall 
feel  the  full  force  of  the  consideration  presented  in 
2  Cor.  8  :  9.  Many  Christians  now  think  they  feel 
it;  but  is  it  feeling  the  force  of  that  consideration, 
for  a  man  who  has  an  income  of  some  thousands  a 
year,  to  give  a  few  surplus  dollars  annually  to  sup- 
port missions,  or  to  circulate  the  Bible?  I  do  not 
say,  that  because  Christ  impoverished  himself,  there- 
fore all  his  followers  ought  literally  to  do  the  same  ; 
but  I  say  they  ought  to  come  nearer  to  it  than  they 
do.  If,  being  rich,  they  should  not  become  poor,  as 
he  did,  yet  surely  they  ought  to  be  more  free  with 
their  riches.  If  the  Master  gave  his  whole  princi- 
pal, certainly  the  disciples  might  give  their  interest. 
That  would  not  be  too  closely  imitating  him.  If 
he  emptied  himself,  they  at  least  might  forego  fur- 
ther accumulation.  They  need  not  become  poor; 
but  why  should  they  be  so  solicitous  to  become 
more  rich?  That  is  being  as  unlike  the  model  aax 
possible. 


152  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

39.    A  TRACT  EFFORT. 

AYe  had  a  meeting  last  night  in  one  of  our  churches 
to  raise  the  sum  of  one  thousand  dollars  in  aid  of 
the  American  Tract  Society's  foreign  operations. 
The  notice  was  general  in  the  churches;  and  to 
many  individuals  repeated  in  the  shape  of  a  printed 
request  sent  to  them  on  the  day  of  the  meeting. 
The  evening  came,  and  it  was  one  of  the  finest  we 
ever  have ;  not  a  cloud,  and  the  moon  shining  forth 
in  her  fullest  splendor,  emulating,  to  her  utmost, 
the  light  of  the  orb  of  day.  We  had  not,  however, 
a  very  large  meeting. 

Few,  even  of  our  church-members,  can  be  per- 
suaded to  adopt  that  sentiment  of  the  Saviour,  that 
"it  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive."  Many 
are  unable  to  conceal  the  sceptical  smile  when  it  is 
gravely  advanced  and  urged  as  an  argument  for  lib- 
erality. More  blessed  to  give !  There  is  nothing 
in  them  that  responds  to  that  sentiment.  Yet  Jesus 
said  it  seriously.  He  meant  what  he  said;  and 
some  of  his  dear  followers  know  in  their  hearts  that 
it  is  so.  They  experience  the  superior  blessedness 
of  giving.  Far  more  delightful  to  them  is  the  feel- 
ing when  they  communicate,  than  the  feeling  when 
they  receive ;  and  giving  leaves  an  impression  of 
pleasure  on  the  soul  which  no  other  act  does  or  can. 
To  be  capable  of  communicating — what  a  privi- 
lege !  they  exclaim.  It  is  to  be  like  God,  who  all 


A  TRACT  EFFORT.  153 

things  gives,  but  naught  receives,  s-ve  the  gratitude 
and  praise  of  his  innumerable  pensioners  and  de- 
pendants. These  persons  g'.ve  now  as  they  pray, 
almost  forgetting  it  is  a  duty,  so  occupied  are  their 
souls  with  a  feeling  that  it  is  a  privilege. 

But  we  met  to  promote  a.  foreign  object,  and  that 
made  against  us  with  some.  The  distance  of  the 
heathen  from  us  was  even  pleaded  by  one  as  an 
argument  against  contributing.  They  are  so  far  off. 
So  far  off — my  thoughts  dwelt  on  these  words,  and 
I  reflected  thus :  "  They  are  not  so  far  off  from  us, 
as  angels  are  from  men ;  yet,  angels  come  over  the 
distance  to  minister  to  men.  No  part  of  earth  is  so 
far  from  any  other  part,  as  earth  from  heaven ;  yet, 
did  not  the  benevolence  of  the  Son  of  God  bring  him 
across  that  long  interval  of  space?  How  have  we 
his  spirit,  if  our  benevolence  cannot  carry  us  the 
length  and  breadth  of  this  little  contimious  earth? 
\Vhat  if  the  object  be  foreign?  Earth  was  more 
foreign  to  heaven.  The  man  that  argues  against 
missions  as  foreign,  is  not  perhaps  aware  that  his 
argument  assails  the  mission  of  the  Son  of  God,  and 
would  prove  the  incarnation  to  have^been  an  un- 
wise measure.  But  is  it  foreign?  What,  one  spot 
of  earth  foreign  to  another,  and  man  an  alien  to 
man?  Christianity  teaches  a  different  lesson — that 
earth  is  but  one  great  habitation,  and  men  but  one 
extended  brotherhood.  0,  shall  we  who  have  been 
visited  by  a  benefactor  from  the  skies,  think  any 


154  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

part  of  earth  too  distant  for  our  charity  to  explore  ? 
Jesus  thought  it  not  so  when  he  said,  "Go  ye  into 
all  the  world."  If  the  argument  of  distance  had 
prevailed  with  others,  we  had  never  heard  of  Jesus. 
Was  not  Briiamfar  off?  yet,  Christian  missionaries 
visited  it.  I  wonder  that  this  circumstance  should 
be  forgotten.  Was  that  a  Quixotic  enterprise  which 
resulted  in  the  conversion  of  our  ancestors  ?  If  not, 
how  is  that  Quixotic  which  undertakes  the  conver- 
sion of  a  nation  now  in  heathenism?  Too  distant ! 
There  was  something  formidable  in  distance  once. 
But  what  is  distance  now?  With  the  star  and  the 
compass,  and  the  sail  and  the  steam,  and  man's  skill 
to  construct,  and  courage  to  dare,  and  fortitude  to 
endure,  what,  I  ask,  is  distance?  Diminished  al- 
most to  being  annihilated.  Whither  has  not  man 
gone  for  his  own  objects?  Whither  shall  he  not  go 
for  Christ's?  Shall  curiosity,  the  love  of  science, 
the  passion  for  adventure,  the  lust  of  gain,  carry  men 
further  than  the  love  of  Christ  shall  constrain  them 
to  go?  0,  never.  There  is  no  force  in  the  objec- 
tion. 

It  was,  notwithstanding  all,  a  good  meeting. 
Those  who  were  present  gave  liberally,  and  with  the 
help  of  the  ladies,  we  shall  more  than  make  up  the 
sum  we  proposed.  I  know  some  think  these  women 
ought  not  to  labor  with  us  in  the  gospel.  But  why 
not,  these,  as  well  as  "those  women"  which  labored 
with  Paul  in  the  gospel,  of  whom  he  makes  such 


BIBLE  FOR  THE  WORLD.  155 

respectful  mention  in  his  epistle  to  the  Philippians? 
Was  it  proper  then  to  use  their  aid,  and  not  now  ? 
May  they  not  do  what  they  can  for  Christ,  as  well 
as  their  sister  whom  Christ  commended  for  having 
done  what  she  could  ?  Were  they  not  women  whom 
Christ  sent  on  the  first  errand  he  wanted  done  after 
his  resurrection?  "Go,  tell  my  brethren  that  they 
go  into  Galilee,  and  there  shall  they  see  me."  May 
not  such  as  went  on  that  errand,  go  on  that  great- 
er errand,  "Go  ye  and  teach  all  nations?"  May 
they  not  at  least  promote  the  going  of  others? 
What,  are  women  the  followers  of  Jesus  Christ,  and 
may  they  not,  as  their  Master  did,  go  about  doing 
good  ? 


30.    THE  WORLD  SHOULD  HAVE  THE  BIBLE. 

There  are  a  great  many  reasons  why  the  world 
should  have  the  Bible.  The  reasons  are  so  numer- 
ous, substantial,  and  urgent,  that  I  wonder  any 
should  have  doubts  about  it.  And  I  wonder  that 
we  who  have  the  Bible,  and  think  so  much  of  it, 
and  have  such  means  of  multiplying  and  circulat- 
ing copies  of  it,  do  not  resolve  at  once  to  attempt, 
within  a  reasonable  period,  to  give  it  to  the  world, 
since  the  world  can  only  have  it  by  the  gift  of  those 
in  whose  possession  it  now  is.  If  it  is  time  that 
they  had  it,  high  time,  as  I  suppose  no  one  will 


150  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

deny,  it  is  time  we  bad  at  least  resolved  to  try  to 
let  them  have  it.  I  wonder  the  great  national  so- 
cieties hesitate  to  resolve  to  try  to  fill  the  world  with 
Bibles  within  a  given  period.  No  individual  or 
society  knows  what  it  can  do  till  a  trial  is  made ; 
we  can  never  foresee  our  ability  to  accomplish  a 
great  enterprise.  They  must  always  be  undertaken 
in  faith.  I  consider  it  quite  as  hazardous  to  predict 
that  the  world  God  has  created  and  upholds,  can- 
not be  put  in  possession  of  his  word  in  some  twenty 
or  thirty  years,  as  to  predict  that  it  can.  This  may 
seem  a  short  time  for  us  to  fill  the  world  with 
Bibles,  but  it  is  a  long  time  for  them  to  be  without 
Bibles.  I  think  it  is  always  best  to  resolve  on  that 
which  ought  to  be  done,  and  which  greatly  needs 
to  be  done,  especially  when  on,e  knows  that  the  thing 
is  to  be  done  within  some  period,  and  when  the 
resolution  is  but  to  make  the  attempt,  and  even 
that  is  done  only  in  reliance  on  divine  help.  A 
man  may  resolve  on  a  great  deal  when  he  is  author- 
ized to  rely,  and  does  actually  rely  on  God  to  aid 
him  in  executing  it.  He  may  take  on  him  a  great 
weight  of  responsibility  when  he  has  such  support. 
One  can  do  all  things,  through  Christ  strengthening 
him ;  and  cannot  some  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
Christians  fill  the  world  with  Bibles,  through  the 
same? 

Why  should  not  the  efforts  of  the  friends  of  Christ 
extend  as  far  as  do  those  of  the  foes  of  Christ  ? 


BIBLE  FOR  THE  WORLD.  157 

There  is  Satan  and  his  associates.  They  go  for  the 
whole  world.  When  the  Lord  asked  Satan  whence 
he  came,  he  answered,  "From  going  to  and  fro  in 
the  earth,  and  from  walking  up  and  down  in  it." 
He  had  been  over  the  whole  ground.  And  shall  not 
we  go  over  the  whole  ground  ?  Shall  we  not  go  as 
far  seeking  whom  we  may  save,  as  he  "  seeking 
whom  he  may  devour?"  I  know  that  he  is  a  very 
powerful  being,  and  we  are  weak ;  but  he  is  not 
almighty,  whereas,  though  we  are  not,  our  glorious 
Ally  is. 

I  know,  too,  that  the  foes  of  Christ  are  united, 
anrl  herein  have  a  great  advantage,  while  the  friends 
of  Christ  are  any  thing  but  united.  That  desire 
which  the  Saviour  expressed,  "  that  they  all  may  be 
one,"  remains  to  be  accomplished :  and  while  that 
is  the  case,  no  wonder  the  world  does  not  believe 
that  God  has  sent  him.  John  17  :  21.  Christ  does 
not  seem  to  have  expected  that  the  world  would 
believe,  until  his  disciples  were  one.  Ncnc,  they 
are  not  one,  nor  even  two,  but  many.  These  friends 
have  so  many  disputes  to  settle  among  themselves, 
that  I  do  not  know  when  they  will  be  ready  to  pro- 
ceed against  the  common  foe.  No  other  being  ever 
had  such  divided  friends  as  Christ.  I  do  not  say 
that  all  their  controversies  are  unimportant,  but  I 
say  they  are  none  of  them  as  important  as  the  Lord's 
controversy  with  the  earth. 

But  there  is  another  more  touching  reason  why 


158  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

the  \vhole  world  should  have  the  Bihle  as  soon  as 
possible.  My  mind  has  recently  laid  great  stress 
upon  it,  and  it  was  for  the  sake  of  presenting  it  that 
I  undertook  this  article.  Every  part  of  earth  is  a 
vale  of  tears,  and  man  is  universally  a  mourner. 
Affliction  is,  or  is  to  bo,  the  lot  of  all.  "  Man  is 
born  to  trouble,"  and  no  one  can  alienate  this  birth- 
right. Now,  the  Bible  is  the  mourner's  own  and 
only  book.  There  is  nothing  will  do  for  him  but 
this.  Other  books  have  been  tried  and  found  want- 
ing. They  do  not  go  to  the  heart  like  God's.  They 
do  not  wipe  away  a  tear.  But  the  Bible  tells  us  of 
a  hand  that  wipes  away  all  tears  from  our  eyes. 
And  it  is  the  very  hand  that  made  us.  What  a 
picture  the  Bible  presents!  One  everlasting  arm 
underneath  a  man  to  support  him,  and  the  hand  of 
the  other  wiping  away  his  tears  as  they  flow.  Was 
ever  any  thing  like  it  ?  That  picture  ought  to  be 
exhibited  everywhere.  I  have  read  what  Howe 
and  Watts  and  Flavel  and  Baxter  and  Cecil,  and 
I  do  not  know  how  many  others,  have  written  for 
mourners,  and  it  is  all  very  well ;  but  what  is  it 
all  to  what  I  have  read  in  the  Lamentations  of 
Jeremiah,  "  HE  DOTH  NOT  AFFLICT  WILLINGLY  ?"  Ah, 
there  is  more  than  half  the  human  race  that  think 
he  does  afflict  willingly.  The  cholera  is  regarded 
by  the  Hindoos  as  the  cruel  sport  of  one  of  their 
goddesses.  0,  how  it  would  lighten  the  sorrows  of 
these  mourners,  did  they  but  know  that  it  is  no  one 


BIBLE  FOR  THE  WORLD.  159 

of  a  plurality  of  gods,  but  the  Lord,  that  afflicts 
them,  and  that  he  does  it  not  willingly.  Can  we 
not  in  a  quarter  of  a  century  give  them  this  in- 
formation ?  But  this  is  only  one  of  I  know  not  how 
many  similar  passages.  There  is  another  that  goes 
even  beyond  this:  "In  all  their  afflictions,  he  was 
afflicted."  Here  is  sympathy  for  you,  divine  ^sym- 
pathy. Dost  thou  feel  ?  He  feels  too.  Does  not 
the  pitier  always  suffer  as  well  as  the  pitied  ?  Well, 
"like  as  a  father  pitieth  his  children,  so  the  Lord 
pitieth."  Such  ideas  as  these  never  crossed  a  pagan 
mind.  It  never  even  occurred  to  him  that  God  is 
a  father. 

I  have  thought  how  one  of  us  in  our  affliction 
would  like  to  be  without  the  Bible,  and  what  we 
would  not  give  under  such  circumstances  to  obtain 
it;  whether  we  would  not  give  more  to  have  it  for 
ourselves,  than  we  now  give  that  the  other  mem- 
bers of  the  great  family  of  mourners  may  have  it. 
I  think  we  should  increase  our  subscription  to  the 
Bible  Society.  We  would  not  like  to  go  along  the 
vale  of  tears,  and  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow 
of  death,  into  which  the  former  sometimes  "so  sud- 
denly sinks,  without  the  twenty-third  psalm  in  our 
possession. 


160  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

31.    MRS.  M.  L.  KEVINS. 

Will  you  allow  a  friend,  iu  his  affliction,  to  occupy 
a  little  space  in  your  valuable  paper,  with  a  subject 
deeply  interesting  to  himself  and  to  a  few  of  your 
readers.  Other  readers  can  pass  it  by  as  destitute 
of  general  interest ;  and  when  their  turn  of  bereave- 
ment comes,  let  them  be  indulged  the  like  privi- 
lege of  consecrating  their  private  griefs  on  the  pub- 
lic page. 

The  following  notice  was  inserted  in  the  secular 
newspapers  of  Baltimore,  of  November  12  : 

"Died,  on  Saturday,  November  8,  1834,  after  a 
short  illness,  Mrs.  Mary  Lloyd,  wife  of  the  Rev.  W. 
Nevins,  aged  33  years.  Though  she  fell  a  victim 
to  the  dreadful  pestilence,  yet  she  suffered  no  pain, 
and  felt  no  terror ;  but  with  sweet  submission  to  the 
divine  will,  with  perfect  confidence  in  the  merits  of 
her  Redeemer,  and  in  humble  hope  of  eternal  life, 
through  his  atonement,  she  gently  breathed  her  spirit 
out  to  God,  and  left  her  body  to  sleep  in  Jesus  until 
the  morning  of  the  resurrection." 

For  the  secular  newspaper,  that  sufficed.  But 
as  one  object  of  your  publication  is  to  record  the 
doings  of  divine  grace,  a  more  extended  memorial  of 
what  that  grace  did  for  the  subject  of  this  notice, 
especially  in  her  last  brief  illness,  cannot  be  out  of 
place  in  its  columns. 

Mrs.  Nevins  was  the  daughter  of  the  late  Philip 


MRS.  M.  L.  NEVINS.  161 

Barton  Key,  Esq.,  and  was  born  in  Georgetown, 
D.  C.,  the  27th  of  August,  A.  D.  1 80 1 .  For  several 
years,  it  was  her  privilege  to  enjoy  the  public  min- 
istry, and  to  receive  the  pastoral  attentions  of  the 
Rev.  C.  P.  Mcllvaine,  then  rector  of  an  Episcopal 
church  in  that  place,  and  now  bishop  of  the  diocese 
of  Ohio.  For  her  soul  he  felt  the  tenderest  con- 
cern. His  prayers,  his  vigilance,  and  his  efforts  for 
its  salvation  were  unremitted  and  untiring.  Nor 
did  he  labor  in  vain.  By  the  blessing  of  God  on  his 
fidelity,  it  is  believed  she  became,  in  1821,  a  subject 
of  divine  grace,  and  gave  up  the  world  for  Christ. 
In  one  of  her  last  conversations,  she  spoke  of  this 
beloved  man  in  terms  of  such  affection  as  can  be 
felt  alone  towards  those  who  have  been  the  instru- 
ments, in  the  hand  of  God,  of  winning  souls  to 
Christ.  She  felt  that,  under  God,  she  owed  every 
thing  to  him. 

In  November,  1822,  she  became  the  wife  of  the 
Rev.  W.  Nevins,  and  removed  to  Baltimore,  the 
scene  of  his  ministry,  where  she  continued  to  reside 
until  her  death.  Of  her  devotedness  as  a  wife,  a 
daughter,  a  sister,  a  mother,  a  friend,  the  writer  of 
this  could  speak  in  terms  of  unmeasured  eulogy ; 
but  it  is  enough  that  her  record  in  this  respect  is 
engraven  indelibly  on  many  hearts.  Her  attach- 
ment to  the  cause  of  Christ  was  intelligent,  sincere, 
and  uniform. 

Up  to  the  overling  of  the  7th  of  November,  she 

Pr».  Tkoujht*.  1  1 


162  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

was,  with  an  exception  deemed  scarcely  worthy  of 
notice,  in  the  possession  of  perfect  health.  It  has 
been  said  of  the  cholera,  that  it  begins  where  other 
diseases  end — with  death.  Almost  literally  true 
was  this  in  her  case.  In  a  few  hours  after  she  was 
attacked,  it  became  evident  to  those  around  her, 
and  to  herself,  that  the  mortal  blow  had  been  struck. 
She  needed  no  one  to  tell  her  of  it ;  she  felt  within 
herself  that  life  was  fast  ebbing  away,  and  said  of 
the  weariness  upon  her,  that  it  must  be  the  weari- 
ness of  death.  When  a  friend,  who  stood  by  her, 
expressed  her  sorrow  that  she  should  take  such  a 
view  of  her  case,  she  said,  "Remember  who  hath 
said  all  things  shall  work  together  for  our  good.  I 
submit  to  His  will,  and  desire  that  he  may  do  with 
me  as  seemeth  to  him  good ;  though  it  is  very  pain- 
ful to  be  separated  from  my  dear  husband  and  my 
sweet  children.  But  I  commit  them  all  into  the 
hands  of  the  Saviour.  It  will  be  a  short  separation, 
and  then  we  shall  meet  to  part  no  more."  Being 
asked  if  she  felt  afraid  to  die,  she  replied,  "No;  I 
had  always  expected  that  the  prospect  of  death 
would  almost  frighten  me  out  of  existence  ;  but  now 
it  has  no  terrors.  I  rely  on  Jesus,  and  feel  I  shall 
be  happy  when  I  die.  It  is  better  to  depart  and  be 
with  him,  where  I  shall  be  completely  freed  from 
Bin."  To  the  friend  already  referred  to,  she  said, 

"M ,  our  intercourse  here  will  soon  be  over. 

"Wo  have  had  many  sweet  and  pleasant  hours  to- 


MRS.  M.  L.  NEVINS.  163 

gether;  now  I  am  going  from  you  to  my  precious 
Jesus.  Precious  Jesus,  whom  have  I  in  heaven  but 
thee  ?"  Seeing  her  friend  agitated  and  weeping, 
she  said,  "  You  must  not  do  so.  I  am  happy,  very 
happy  ;  and  you  must  all  pray  that  my  eyes  may  be 
fixed  on  the  glories  of  crucified  love  to  the  last." 

Once,  with  a  sweet  expression  of  countenance, 
she  said,  "How  much  is  implied  in  those  words, 
The  peace  of  God  which  passeth  all  understand- 
ing." She  was  asked  if  she  relied  on  Jesus.  She 
answered,  "Entirely."  Often  she  was  interrogated 
as  to  his  presence  with  her,  and  her  replies  were 
uniformly  satisfactory.  On  one  occasion,  appearing 
to  be  engaged  in  deep  thought,  she  was  asked  what 
she  was  thinking  of.  She  said,  "Mercy."  Jesus 
and  mercy — those  are  what  the  dying  should  think 
of.  Much  on  her  lips,  and  more  in  her  thoughts, 
was  that  name — name  above  every  name — JESUS. 
"0  Lord  Jesus,  place  underneath  me  thy  everlast- 
ing arms.  Jesus,  receive  my  spirit.  0,  Lord  Jesus, 
receive  me  on  the  other  side  of  Jordan,"  were  among 
her  prayers  to  him.  Nor  did  her  heart  spend  its 
emotions  in  prayer  alone ;  it  was  attuned  to  praise. 
She  said,  "I  want  a  hymn  sung."  "What  hymn?" 
it  was  asked.  "The  hymn  about  crossing  over  Jor- 
dan," she  said;  and  it  was  sung;  and  soon  after, 
she  crossed  the  stream — the  narrow  stream  of  death. 
Nor  did  Jesus  wait  for  her  on  Canaan's  bright  side 
of  the  stream ;  but  ho  came  over  to  earth's  dark 


164  PRACTICAL   THOUGHTS. 

shore  of  it,  and  himself  took  her  across.  That 
stream  must  be  narrow,  it  was  so  soon  passed ;  and 
all  was  so  calm,  there  could  not  have  been  a  ripple 
on  its  surface.  0  death,  where  was  thy  sting?  0 
grave,  a  feeble,  fearful  female,  with  only  a  few 
hours  to  arm  herself  for  the  conflict,  and  to  take 
leave  of  her  babes,  met  thee,  and  was  more  than 
victor  through  Him  who  gave  her  the  victory. 

"  Is  that  a  death-bed  where  a  Christian  lies  ? 
Yes;  but  not  his — 'tis  death  itself  there  dies." 


32.    WHAT  STRANGE  BEINGS  WE  ARE  ! 

How  unreasonable ;  how  inconsistent  with  crur- 
selves ;  even  we  who  are  Christians.  God  does 
the  very  thing  we  ask  him  to  do,  and  yet  we  com- 
plain of  him,  or  grieve  immoderately  and  almost 
inconsolably,  because  he  does  it.  We  ask  that  his 
will  may  be  done ;  which  implies,  that  our  will,  if 
it  be  in  contrariety  to  his,  should  not  be  done ;  and 
this  we  sometimes  in  so  many  words  express  :  "Not 
as  we  will,  but  as  thou  wilt."  Well,  God  does  his 
will,  the  very  thing  we  wanted  him  to  do ;  and  yet 
we  complain  that  he  does  not  our  will,  the  thing 
we  deprecated  his  doing.  We  complain  that  he 
hears  our  prayer,  and  grants  us  the  desire  of  our 
heart.  Was  ever  complaint  so  unreasonable  ?  If, 
when  we  asked  him  to  do  his  will  he  had  done  ours, 


WE  ARE  STRANGE  BEINGS.  165 

there  would  have  been  some  semblance  of  reason 
for  our  complaint.  Will  we  say  that  we  never 
meant,  in  our  hearts,  what  the  terms  of  our  petition 
expressed — that  we  never  really  desired  his  will 
should  be  done?  Will  any  one  acknowledge  that 
he  has  uniformly  been  a  hypocrite  in  the  use  of  the 
Lord's  prayer?  Certainly,  then,  he  ought  not  to 
complain  that  God  has  detected  and  chastised  his 
hypocrisy.  But  if  he  was  sincere — if  he  desired 
what  he  asked  for,  then  if  he  complains,  he  com- 
plains that  God  has  gratified  his  desire.  How  per- 
verse it  is  in  a  creature  to  say  to  (rod,  time  after 
time,  when  craving  good  or  deprecating  evil,  "Nev- 
ertheless, not  as  I  will,  but  as  thou  wilt ;"  and  then, 
because  it  is  as  God  wills,  and  not  as  he  wills,  to 
think  hard  of  God. 

Every  one  who  prays,  "Thy  will  be  done,"  is 
aware  that  the  will  of  God  does  not  always  coin- 
cide with  the  inclinations  of  his  creatures.  It  were 
wonderful  if  it  should — wonderful  indeed,  if  the 
will  of  an  omniscient  and  infinitely  perfect  being 
should  uniformly  fall  in  with  the  capricious  desires 
and  inclinations  of  those  who  are  finite,  fallible, 
and  sinful.  Our  own  inclinations  do  not  agree  with 
each  other.  We  are  the  subjects  of  conflicting 
desires;  the  will  of  God  could  not  coincide  with 
our  inclinations  without  coinciding  with  contraries. 
Well,  the  prayer,  "Thy  will  be  done,"  which  we 
all  consent  to  use,  recognizing  this  want  of  coinci- 


166  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

dence,  begs  that  in  all  such  cases,  God  will  cause 
his  will  to  be  done  rather  than  ours.  It  is  a  most 
reasonable  request;  no  wonder  God  should  comply 
with  it.  And  yet  we  complain  that  in  such  cases 
of  disagreement,  he  does  not  carry  out  our  inclina- 
tions instead  of  his  own  will.  It  is  well,  in  view 
of  such  perverseness,  that  we  have  to  do  with  a  God 
of  infinite  patience.  How  very  slow  to  anger  our 
God  is. 

But  I  have  not  stated  the  case  yet  in  all  its 
strength.  Complaint  against  God  would  be  alto- 
gether unreasonable,  if  he  caused  only  his  will  to 
be  done.  But  while  he  causes  his  own,  he  causes 
our  will  also  to  be  done ;  for  it  is  our  will,  as  we 
have  told  him  over  and  over  again,  that  his  will 
should  be  done.  Why  should  he  not  gratify  the 
inclination  of  ours,  that  his  will  should  be  done,  as 
well  as  any  other  inclination  which  we  have ;  for 
example,  the  inclination  to  retain  a  certain  earthly 
enjoyment  ?  He  cannot  gratify  our  every  inclina- 
tion, for  the  gratification  of  one  would  be  the  denial 
of  another.  He  must  make  a  selection.  It  is  not 
his  fault  that  we  have  warring  inclinations.  He 
did  not  make  us  so ;  it  is  one  of  the  inventions  we 
have  sought  out.  It  belongs  to  us  as  marred  by 
ourselves.  Will  it  be  said  that  God  selects  the  less 
worthy  inclination  to  gratify?  I  think  not.  What 
worthier  inclination  can  we  have,  than  that  God's 
will  should  be  done? 


WE  ARE  STRANGE  BEINGS.  167 

Is  it  the  pain  of  having  an  inclination  crossed,  of 
which  we  complain  ?  But  let  us  complain  of  our- 
selves, that  we  have  inclinations  which  need  to  be 
crossed.  And  besides,  would  it  give  us  no  pain  were 
we  to  discover  that,  in  a  particular  instance,  God 
submitted  his  own  will  to  our  inclination,  and  suf- 
fered us  to  be  gratified  in  a  certain  respect  when  his 
judgment  was  against  it? 

Fellow-Christians,  we  must  give  up  the  use  of 
that  petition,  "  Thy  will  be  done,"  or  else  act  more 
consistently.  It  will  not  do  to  be  daily  asking  a 
thing,  and  daily  lamenting  that  the  thing  is  grant- 
ed. If  we  would  have  our  will  done,  let  us  alter 
the  petition,  and  say,  "  Our  will  be  done."  Let  us 
be  sincere,  if  we  are  nothing  else.  Let  us  tell  the 
Lord  the  very  desires  we  have,  however  wrong  they 
may  be.  That  is  better,  certainly,  than  to  have 
such  desires  and  tell  him  the  contrary. 

But  I  would  by  no  means  advise  the  alteration. 
I  think  we  had  much  better  keep  to  the  old  form,  and 
pray  as  the  Lord  taught  his  disciples.  Yes,  let  us 
go  on  to  say,  "Thy  will  be  done."  It  is  our  heav- 
enly Father  whom  we  address.  Surely,  his  chil- 
dren need  not  fear  to  have  his  will  done.  Let  us 
consent  with  our  whole  heart  that  his  will  should 
be  done,  and  towards  us  as  well  as  towards  others; 
and  not  merely  in  some  things,  but  in  all  things ; 
for  why  should  not  all  his  will  be  done,  as  well  as 
any  part  of  it?  If  we  do  so,  by  and  by  we  shall 


168  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

have  no  inclinations  contrary  to  his  will.  We  shall 
be  incapable  of  cross  or  disappointment.  Every 
thing  being  as  he  would  have  it,  would  be  also  as 
we  would  have  it. 

If  now  a  part  of  his  will  be  hidden  until  events 
disclose  it,  yet  in  other  respects  it  is  already  re- 
vealed. We  know,  for  instance,  that  it  is  our  Fa- 
ther's good  pleasure  to  give  vis  the  kingdom ;  and 
that  it  is  our  divine  Saviour's  will  that  we  should 
be  with  him  where  he  is,  that  we  may  behold  his 
glory.  For  the  present  let  this  suffice  us.  We 
shall  be  satisfied,  when  we  awake  in  his  likeness. 
In  this  expectation  we  should  be  satisfied  now. 
Let  us  suffer  God  to  reign,  and  let  us  not  aspire  to 
be  his  counsellors.  He  taketh  no  counsel  of  any. 


33.  WHAT  VERY  STRANGE  BEINGS  WE  ARE  ! 

Yes ;  what  very  strange  beings  we  are  !  We 
who  are  sinners  expect  to  be  treated  with  more 
deference  than  the  innocent  and  holy.  Their  will 
is  not  done  ;  nor  do  they  desire  it  should  be.  We, 
who  are  of  earth,  expect  privileges,  as  we  in  our 
ignorance  account  them,  which  they  of  heaven 
never  think  of  claiming — the  privilege,  if  not  of 
holding  the  reins  o.  government,  yet  of  directing 
how  they  should  be  held  ;  and  of  having  things 


WE  ARE  STRANGE  BEINGS.  169 

move  on  according  to  our  inclinations.  But  should 
men,  who  are  "of  yesterday  and  know  nothing," 
rule,  when  angels,  of  an  intellectual  growth  of 
thousands  of  years,  cast  their  crowns  at  Jehovah's 
feet  and  decline  every  thing  but  the  most  entire 
subjection  ? 

But  this  is  not  all.  We,  who  are  the  sons  of  God 
but  by  adoption,  expect  to  be  treated  better  than 
even  God's  only  begotten  Son.  Did  not  he  suffer  ? 
And  is  it  a  mystery  that  we  should  ?  Was  he  "  ac- 
quainted with  grief,"  and  shall  we  deem  it  strange 
and  inexplicable  that  we  should  have  experience 
of  the  same  ?  Why  should  we  marvel  that  the  cup 
we  deprecate  does  not  pass  from  our  lips,  when  a  far 
more  bitter  cup  did  not  pass  from  him  ?  Shall  we 
conclude  that  God  is  not  a  hearer  of  prayer,  be- 
cause a  prayer  of  ours  is  not  answered  in  kind, 
when  he  whom  the  Father  always  hears,  prayed, 
"  Let  this  cup  pass  from  me,"  and  it  was  not  done? 
Ah,  you  say,  what  a  dark  and  mysterious  provi- 
dence this  is  !  But  that  was  darker  and  more  mys- 
terious, which  left  the  Son  of  God  to  be  betrayed 
and  crucified  by  his  enemies.  And  what  if  his  suf- 
ferings were  to  accomplish  an  immensely  important 
object ;  how  few,  it  may  be  supposed,  of  the  intel- 
ligent minds  that  looked  on,  were  aware  of  that. 
Besides,  may  not  your  sufferings  be  intended  to  ac- 
complish an  important  object?  Are  they  not  cer- 
tainly so  meant  ?  Do  we  not  read  of  chastening, 


170  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

that  "it  yieldetli  the  peaceable  fruit  of  righteous- 
ness, unto  them  who  are  exercised  therehy;"  and 
of  affliction,  that  it  "  worketh  for  us  a  far  more  ex- 
ceeding and  eternal  weight  of  glory?"  Doubtless 
our  sufferings  are  in  their  place  as  indispensable  as 
were  those  of  Christ. 

Again,  how  reasonable  and  fit  it  is  that  the  fol- 
lowers of  a  suffering  Saviour  should  themselves  suf- 
fer— that  they  should  drink  of  the  cup  of  which  he 
drank,  and  be  baptized  with  the  baptism  where- 
with he  was  baptized.  How  could  we  be  like  him 
without  suffering?  The  Master  was  made  "  perfect 
through  sufferings."  How  suitable  that  the  disci- 
ples should  not  be  made  perfect  until  after  they 
"  have  suffered  a  while !"  He  went  through  suffer- 
ing to  his  dominion  and  glory.  Why  should  we  ex- 
pect to  reign  with  him,  except  we  also  suffer  with 
him  ?  Have  we  not  always  known  that  the  cross 
is  the  condition  of  the  crown?  "If  we  suffer,  we 
shall  also  reign  with  him."  Jesus  was  never  known 
to  smile  on  earth.  But  we  reckon  it  strange  and 
quite  unaccountable,  if  we  may  not  smile  perpet- 
ually. He  wept,  while  we  regard  each  tear  we 
shed  as  a  mystery.  "What  bereavement  have  any 
of  God's  adopted  children  ever  suffered,  the  sense 
of  which  was  so  keen  as  that  under  which  the 
only-begotten  Son  cried  out,  "  My  God,  my  God, 
why  hast  thou  forsaken  me  ?" 

We  wonder  that  God  does  not  hear  every  prayer 


WE  ARE  STRANGE  BEINGS.  171 

we  offer  to  him  for  every  sort  of  thing,  for  health, 
for  success  in  worldly  matters,  for  exemption  from 
bereavement,  etc.,  never  reflecting  that  if  he  did 
so,  he  would  cease  to  be  the  Governor  of  the  world, 
except  in  name.  He  would  be  but  our  agent.  He 
would  reign  in  subordination  to  us.  We  should 
rule  all  things  by  the  sway  of  our  prayers.  And 
where  would  be  the  difference  between  being  on 
the  throne  ourselves,  and  directing  him  who  occu- 
pies it?  Who  would  care  to  hold  the  reins  of  gov- 
ernment, if  he  might  by  the  expression  of  his  desire 
control  the  being  in  whose  hands  they  are  ?  What 
a  world  this  would  soon  become,  if  every  prayer, 
every  expression  of  desire  offered  to  God  even  by 
his  own  children,  were  answered  according  to  the 
term  of  it.  The  voices  of  them  in  heaven  who  say, 
"Alleluia;  for  the  Lord  God  omnipotent  reigneth," 
would  be  hushed  at  once.  0,  shall -God  be  infi- 
nitely wise  and  intelligent,  and  not  employ  his 
boundless  wisdom  and  knowledge  in  managing  the 
affairs  of  his  creatures?  Shall  his  omniscience  of 
all  things  in  all  periods  exert  no  influence  on  his 
determinations  ?  Shall  he,  to  gratify  us,  hear  a 
prayer  which  we  would  never  offer  if  we  saw  what 
he  sees,  or  what  we  ourselves  may  discover  in  the 
progress  of  a  few  short  years  ?  What  strange  beings 
we  are  to  expect  or  desire  such  a  thing. 

Are  we  the  only  persons  whose  happiness  is  to 
be  regarded  by  God  in  his  dispensations  ?    What  if 


172  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

an  event  affect  us  with  sorrow?  The  same  event 
may  affect  others  with  joy,  and  God  may  be  receiv- 
ing their  praises  while  he  hears  our  complaints. 
Are  we  alone  to  be  considered,  and  not  they  ?  We 
grieve,  perhaps,  because  one  very  dear  to  us  has 
been  taken  from  earth  to  heaven.  We  prayed  im- 
portunately that  it  might  be  otherwise,  but  we 
were  not  heard.  We  know  not  what  to  make  of  it, 
and  are  on  the  point  of  murmuring.  But  was  not 
thy  friend's  happiness  to  be  taken  into  the  account, 
as  well  as  thine  ?  Is  the  event  so  very  mournful  a 
one  in  the  aspect  of  it  which  he  contemplates  ? 
Does  he  grieve  that  he  has  made  the  exchange  ?  If 
thy  loss  were  equivalent  to  his  gain,  it  would  be 
unkind  to  complain  of  the  dispensation.  But  what 
is  the  loss  to  thee  in  comparison  with  the  gain  to 
him?  Is  not  thy  friend  satisfied  with  what  God  has 
done  ?  And  shall  you  indulge  discontent  ?  If  you 
cannot  but  grieve,  yet  you  should  be  willing  to  shed 
many  tears  for  the  sake  of  having  all  his  wiped 
away.  Can  a  soul  too  soon  cease  from  sin  and  sor- 
row? Can  heaven  be  entered  prematurely?  Do 
you  not  read  and  believe  that  it  is  better,  far  bet- 
ter, to  depart  and  be  with  Christ? 

How  very  inconsistent  we  are.  If  God,  wearied 
with  our  discontent  and  complainings,  should  say, 
"  Well,  since  you  desire  it,  be  it  according  to  your 
mind,"  is  there  one  Christian  who  would  not  in- 
stantly respond,  "  Nay,  rather  be  it  according  to 


ACCORDING  TO  THY  MIND.  173 

thine  ?"  Who  would  exercise  the  fearful  privilege 
of  ordering  a  single  event  which  is  to  affect  him  ? 
And  shall  we  contend  for  a  privilege  which  we 
would  not  exercise  if  we  had  it  ?  Shall  we  claim 
to  choose  in  a  case  in  which,  if  the  right  of  choice 
were  given  us,  we  should  immediately  give  it  back 
into  the  hands  of  God? 


34.   "  SHOULD  IT  BE  ACCORDING-  TO  THY  MIND  ?" 

This  question  Elihu  asked  of  Job.  Things  were 
not  according  to  the  mind  of  Job ;  and  he  com- 
plained, and  was  unhappy  that  they  were  not. 
He  wanted  them  to  be  according  to  his  mind. 
Perhaps  it  is  so  with  you.  But  should  it  be  ac- 
cording to  thy  mind,  when  there  is  another  mind 
in  the  universe  which  is  exercised  and  employed 
about  the  affairs  of  mortals ;  and  that  mind  infi- 
nite, while  yours  is  finite — infallible,  while  yours 
is  liable  to  a  thousand  errors  and  mistakes,  in  which 
you  have  often  been  detected,  even  by  yourself — 
possessed  of  all  knowledge,  too,  while  you  "are  of 
yesterday  and  know  nothing  ?"  Should  it  not  be 
rather  according  to  his  mind  ?  Should  the  inferior 
mind  dispose  and  direct  things  ? 

If  there  were  but  one  such  mind,  the  demand 
would  not  be  quite  so  unreasonable.  But  should 


174  PRACTICAL   THOUGHTS. 

it  be  according  to  thy  mind,  when  upon  the  same 
principle  it  should  be  according  to  the  mind  of 
others,  your  fellow-creatures,  as  wise  and  good  as 
you,  as  much  entitled  and  as  well  qualified  to  govern 
as  you,  whose  minds  nevertheless  are  in  opposition 
to  yours,  so  that  it  could  not  be  according  to  theirs 
and  yours  also  ?  Many  of  your  views  and  wishes 
are  at  war  with  theirs.  The  gratification  of  your 
desires  would  often  be  incompatible  with  the  grati- 
fication of  theirs.  Now  should  one  creature  rule 
all  other  creatures,  and  the  Creator  too  ?  Is  it  not 
better  to  let  the  supreme  mind  direct  for  all ; 
when,  moreover,  this  creature,  who  would  rule  all 
others,  does  not  and  cannot  rule  his  own  spirit  ? 
Methinks  he  who  aspires  to  command  and  control 
others,  should  begin  with  commanding  and  con- 
trolling himself. 

But  what  still  more  unfits  him  to  order  things  is, 
that  his  rnind  not  only  is  at  variance  with  other 
minds,  but  does  not  agree  with  itself.  Sometimes 
it  inclines  to  one  thing,  and  again  it  inclines  to  the 
opposite.  Nothing,  not  even  the  inconstant  wind, 
is  so  changeable  as  this  mind,  which  would  have 
things  to  be  according  to  it.  Should  such  a  change- 
able mind  rule,  rather  than  He  who  is  "in  one 
mind,"  and  whom  none  can  turn — "the  Father  of 
lights,  with  whom  is  no  variableness,  neither  shadow 
of  turning  ?" 

But  not  only  does  this  mind  disagree  with  itself 


ACCORDING  TO  THY  MIND.  175 

at  different  times,  but  often  at  the  very  same  mo- 
ment it  is  at  war  with  itself;  forming  plans  and 
cherishing  inclinations  which  are  opposite  to  each 
other ;  so  that  it  could  not  accomplish  one  of  its 
purposes  without  defeating  another,  and  could  not 
gratify  itself  in  one  respect  without  denying  itself 
in  another.  Should  it  be  according  to  a  miud,  ac- 
cording to  which  it  could  not  be  ?  We  often  have  a 
mind  to  an  end,  when  we  have  no  miud  to  the 
means  necessary  to  secure  that  end.  Who  has  not 
a  miud  to  be  saved?  But  many  have  no  mind  to 
the  way  of  being  saved.  Self-gratification  is  the 
thing  men  plead  for,  which  implies  that  they  have 
no  mind  to  self-denial ;  and  yet,  if  they  would  be 
saved,  they  must  deny  themselves.  In  order  to 
have  things  according  to  their  mind  hereafter,  they 
must  consent  that  they  should  not  be  according  to 
their  mind  now.  Things  cannot  be  according  to 
their  mind  in  time  and  in  eternity  both.  How  mer- 
ciful it  is  in  God  not  to  let  things  be  to  our  mind 
in  this  present  brief  life. 

Should  it  be  according  to  thy  mind,  when  thou 
dost  not  always  know  thy  own  mind  ?  In  such  a 
case,  would  you  not  have  another  to  choose  for  you  ? 
Should  one  who  has  to  hesitate  and  debate  matters 
with  himself  before  he  decides,  have  the  direction 
of  affairs  in  his  hands  ?  '  How  long  it  sometimes 
takes  you  to  make  up  your  mind.  What  shall  be 
done  in  the  mean  time '.'  Must  the  course  of  nature 


176  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

and  providence  be  arrested,  and  the  whole  current 
of  events  stand  still,  till  you  have  concluded  what 
is  best  to  be  done  ? 

Have  you  not  sometimes  had  things  according  to 
your  mind,  and  afterwards  regretted  that  they  were 
so  ?  And  would  you  run  the  risk  of  similar  regrets 
hereafter  ?  Have  you  not  sometimes  also  had  things 
contrary  to  your  mind,  and  subsequently  rejoiced 
that  they  were  so?  Have  you  never  found  crosses 
to  be  blessings  in  disguise  ?  May  not  the  present 
cross  cover  a  blessing  ?  And  will  you  complain  of 
a  blessing,  in  whatever  garb  it  may  come  ? 

Let  God  be  heard  before  he  is  condemned.  We 
concede  this  privilege  to  men.  We  consent  to  hear 
their  reasons,  before  we  censure  their  acts.  God 
has  appointed  a  day  for  the  explanation  of  all  things ; 
and  he  may  reveal  the  reasons  of  his  conduct  towards 
us  even  before  the  day  of  the  revelation  of  his  right- 
eous judgment.  It  is  uncertain  whether  we  shall 
justify  men,  after  we  have  heard  their  reasons;  but 
do  you  not  believe,  that  if  you  knew  the  reasons  of 
all  God's  proceedings  in  providence,  you  would  ap- 
prove and  sanction  them  all,  and  that  your  mind 
would  be  in  accordance  with  his  ?  Why  then  not 
acquiesce  in  it  now?  Other  beings,  better  and 
greater  than  you,  do  so.  They  decline  having 
things  according  to  their  mind.  And  should  not 
you?  Eli  said,  "  It  is  the  Lord  ;  let  him  do  what 
seemeth  him  good."  And  even  Christ  would  not 


ACCORDING  TO  THY  MIND.  177 

have  it  according  to  his  mind.  "  Not  as  I  will,  but 
as  thou  wilt,"  was  his  conclusion,  when  the  bitter- 
est of  all  cups  was  at  his  lips. 

Are  you  one  of  those  who  love  God?  Surely 
then  it  ought  to  satisfy  you,  when  God  assures  you 
that  under  his  government  "all  things  work  to- 
gether for  good  to  them  that  love  him."  Will  you 
not  let  him  choose  what  the  things  shall  be,  when 
he  pledges  himself  that  the  result  of  them  all  shall 
be  your  good  ?  Is  it  certain,  if  the  things  to  befall 
you  were  chosen  by  you,  that  they  would  all  con- 
duce to  your  good  ?  He  says  that  he  will  withhold 
no  good  thing  from  them  that  walk  uprightly.  Is 
not  this  guarantee  enough  ?  "  How  shall  he  not," 
says  one  of  his  inspired  apostles,  with  Christ  "also 
freely  give  us  all  things  ?"  "  All  things  are  yours." 
And  will  you  complain  that  death  is  in  the  cata- 
logue, or  that  tribulation  and  distress  are  among  the 
things  in  all  which  "we  are  more  than  conquerors 
through  Him  that  loved  us  ?" 


12 


178  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

35.    HOW  INCONSISTENT  WE  ARE ! 

How  many  examples  of  inconsistency  one  may 
give,  without  going  beyond  the  pale  of  the  church, 
into  the  wide  domain  of  the  world.  We  Christians 
consecrate  ourselves  to  God,  for  his  use  and  glory. 
Who  is  a  Christian  that  has  not  done  this ;  and  what 
Christian  has  not  done  it  often,  and  perhaps  recorded 
the  solemn  act  of  self-consecration  ?  Well,  having 
done  it  repeatedly,  and  not  by  constraint,  but  will- 
ingly ;  and  having  thus  not  only  acknowledged 
God's  right  to  use  us,  and  to  glorify  himself  in  and 
by  us,  but  asked  him  to  do  it,  we  afterwards  com- 
plain that  he  does  it.  We  object  to  the  use  to  which 
he  puts  us,  though  we  never  stipulated  any  partic- 
ular use  to  which  he  should  put  us,  bvit  left  him 
free  to  use  us  as  should  seem  good  to  him.  Yet 
now,  when  we  see  what  he  is  going  to  do  with  us, 
though  in  consenting  that  he  should  do  with  us 
according  to  his  pleasure,  we  consented  to  that  very 
thing,  we  demur,  and  would  dictate  what  use  he 
should  make  of  us  arid  how  glorify  himself  by  us. 
Do  I  not  justly  denominate  this  inconsistency  ?  May 
not  God  do  what  he  will  with  his  own,  when  it  is 
his  own  on  so  many  accounts  and  by  so  perfect  a 
right — his  own  not  only  by  creation,  by  preserva- 
tion, and  by  purchase,  but  by  our  consent  and  cov- 
enant with  him,  and  oft  expressed  desire  that  it 
should  be  his ;  and  when,  moreover,  he  engages  that 


INCONSISTENCY.  179 

in  using  us  according  to  his  will  and  for  his  glory, 
he  will  not  fail  to  secure  our  highest  interests,  our 
best  good,  our  eternal  well-being  ?  We  do  what 
we  will  with  our  own,  though  it  be  our  own  in  a 
very  subordinate  sense,  and  though  we  use  it  exclu- 
sively for  our  pleasure  or  profit ;  and  we  concede 
the  same  right  to  our  fellow-creatures.  What  if  we 
were  to  say  to  a  fellow-man,  "  This  is  yours  ;  you 
made  it ;  you  daily  renew  your  labor  on  it,  to  keep 
it  in  repair ;  you  also  paid  a  price  for  it.  I  surren- 
der it  up  to  you.  I  desire  it  should  be  yours.  You 
are  much  better  qualified  to  use  it  properly  than  I 
am ;"  and  then  afterwards  object  to  his  using  it  as 
his  own :  how  unreasonable  it  would  be  in  us ; 
how  we  should  contradict  ourselves.  And  is  it  not 
as  unreasonable  to  hold  similar  language  to  God 
and  then  complain  of  him? 

We  also  consecrate  to  God  our  families — wife 
and  children  and  all.  We  say,  "  These  also  are 
thine,  Lord.  Use  them  likewise  for  thy  glory.. 
We  consecrate  them  to  thee."  Well,  being  conse- 
crated, he  uses  them  as  sacred  to  him ;  and  present- 
ly, having  no  further  use  for  one  of  them  on  earth, 
and  wanting  him  in  heaven  to  fill  a  place  there,  he 
takes  the  person  thither,  changes  his  residence  and 
society,  promotes  him,  brings  him  nearer  to  court. 
Having  some  time  before  justified  and  begun  to 
sanctify  the  individual,  he  at  once  perfects  the  work 
of  holiness  in  him,  and  beatifies,  glorifies  him — frees 


180  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

him  from  all  sin,  sorrow,  pain,  and  dread,  and  wipes 
away  his  last  tear.  The  subject  of  all  this  is  in  an 
ecstasy  of  joy  and  gratitude  for  what  has  been  done 
to  him,  and  would  not  for  worlds  leave  the  choice 
spot  which  he  now  occupies.  Well,  and  what  then  ? 
Why,  we  object  and  complain,  and  think  it  hard, 
and  almost  weep  dry  the  fountain  of  tears,  and  re- 
fuse to  be  comforted;  and  that  though  it  was  God 
who  took  that  member  of  the  family ;  and  though 
he  took  but  his  own,  and  took  it  to  himself;  and 
though  we  are  so  soon  ourselves  to  follow  to  the 
same  abode ;  and  though  it  was  always  understood 
and  agreed  upon  that  God  should  take  each  just 
when  he  pleased.  It  was  one  of  the  articles  of  the 
covenant  we  entered  into  with  him.  He  claimed 
and  we  conceded  the  right.  We  received  that 
creature  with  the  express  understanding  that  we 
were  to  give  him  up  when  called  for.  We  al- 
ways knew  it  was  not  a  gift  outright,  but  a  loan. 
And  now  shall  we  complain  of  the  recall  of  the 
loan? 

0  how  easy  it  is  to  convince  the  judgment — to 
silence  the  mind ;  but  the  heart,  the  unmanage- 
able heart,  feels  on  as  before.  Our  arguments  go 
not  down  to  thafr  deep  seat  of  emotion.  There  is 
still  the  void,  the  tumult,  the  ache,  the  longing. 
Only  God  can  reason  with  the  heart.  At  no  bid- 
ding but  his,  will  it  ever  be  still  and  satisfied. 

Again,  we  consecrate  our  property  to  God.     We 


INCONSISTENCY.  131 

say,  "We  being  thine,  all  ours  is  also  thine.  Thine 
be  it.  Take  and  use  it."  But  let  God  touch  it,  to 
take  any  part  of  it  away,  and  how  distressed  and 
well-nigh  desperate  it  makes  some  who  profess  to 
be  Christians;  and  how  unlike  a  thing  sacred,  and 
by  our  act  made  sacred  to  God,  we  use  it.  "  Holi- 
ness to  the  Lord,"  we  inscribe  on  all  our  property, 
and  then  utterly  disregarding  the  label,  we  use  it 
exclusively  for  ourselves. 

So  also  we  devote  life  to  God.  But  he  must 
not  on  any  account  take  it.  How  we  tremble 
when  we  apprehend  that  he  is  going  to  receive 
what  we  ofler  to  him.  0  death,  can  it  be  that 
thou  hast  lost  thy  sting  ?  Blessed  Jesus,  how  reluc- 
tant thy  disciples  are  to  have  thee  come  and  take 
them  to  thyself!  Forgive  us — we  know  not  what 
we  do. 

Once  more,  what  strange,  inconsistent  beings  we 
are.  If  it  be  one  characteristic  of  the  righteous  man, 
that  he  "  sweareth  to  his  own  hurt,  and  changeth 
not,"  how  much  more  essential  to  rectitude  must  it 
not  be  to  comply  with  the  terms  of  the  oath  which 
we  have  sworn,  not  to  man,  but  to  God  ;  a,nd  when 
the  tendency  of  the  oath  is  not  our  hurt,  but  our 
greatest  and  most  lasting  good.  As  Christians,  we 
have  sworn  to  God.  We  have  taken  the  sacrament, 
and  that  often  and  not  without  deliberation.  Many 
oaths  are  on  us.  And  now  shall  we  change  ?  Shall 
we  draw  back  ?  Shall  we  refuse  to  perform,  or,  as 


132  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

the  case  may  be,  to  submit,  because  of  some  trifling 
inconvenience,  some  transient  evil,  which  God  can 
and  will  make  to  conduce  to  our  ultimate  and 
eternal  good? 


36.    THE  PITY  OF  THE  LORD. 

There  is  a  great  deal  of  the  Bible  which  seems 
not  to  be  believed  even  by  those  who  profess  and 
suppose  that  they  believe  it  all.  And  this  is  true, 
if  I  mistake  riot,  of  what  some  would  call  the  best 
parts  of  the  Bible — those  parts,  for  example,  which 
speak  of  the  kind  feelings  of  God  towards  his  crea- 
tures, and  especially  towards  those  of  them  who 
fear  him.  I  suspect  that  even  Christians  read  them 
with  a  sort  of  incredulity.  They  seem  to  them  al- 
most too  good  to  be  true.  But  why  should  not  God 
feel  towards  us  as  he  says  he  does  ?  Is  he  not  our 
Father?  Has  he  not  nourished  and  brought  us  up 
as  children?  "Why  should  it  be  thought  a  thing 
incredible  with  us,  that  God  should  feel  as  a  Fa- 
ther does  towards  his  children  ?  I  never  read  that 
103d  psalm,  but  I  stop  at  the  thirteenth  verse : 
"Like  as  a  father  pitieth  his  children,  so  the  Lord 
pitieth  them  that  fear  him ;"  and  I  read  it  a  sec- 
ond time,  and  I  find  myself  asking,  not  merely  in 
admiration,  but  with  some  degree  of  unbelief,  "Can 
it  be  that  the  Lord  pities  us,  and  pities  us  like  as  a 


THE  PITY  OF  THE  LORD.  183 

father  his  children  ?  I  know  the  Lord  is  good  to 
all.  How  can  he  who  is  love,  be  other  than  benev- 
olent? It  were  contrary  to  his  nature  not  to  be. 
But  pity  expresses  more  than  goodness — more  than 
benevolence.  There  is  an  unmovedness  in  mere 
goodness ;  but  in  pity,  the  heart  melts,  and  the  eye 
weeps,  and  the  whole  soul  is  moved  as  from  its 
seat.  And  this  is  especially  true  of  a  parent's  pity. 
Can  it  be  possible  that  God  pities  after  that  man- 
ner?" 0  yes,  it  is  possible ;  and  it  has  passed  out 
of  the  limits  of  possibilities  into  the  circle  of  facts. 
The  Lord  pitieth  them  that  fear  him — pitieth,  as  a 
father,  you,  if  you  fear  him.  His  feelings  towards 
you  are  fully  up  to  those  which  you  can  conceive, 
or  from  experience  know  to  be  those  of  the  most 
tender  parent  towards  his  children.  Yes,  God  pities 
you.  That  nature  which  is  love,  feels  and  exercises 
compassion  towards  you  in  your  sorrows  and  trials. 
That  great  heart  is  affected  by  your  misery  and 
griefs,  as  our  hearts  are  when  at  the  sight  of  suffer- 
ing we  weep.  Yes,  Christian,  God  is  sorry  for  you. 
0  what  a  thought  this  for  an  hour  of  trial ;  what 
a  sentiment  this  to  bear  suffering  with.  What  if 
thou  dost  suffer?  Is  it  not  enough  that  God  pities 
thee?  We  should  be  willing  to  suffer,  if  he  will 
sympathize.  We  should  never  know  what  divine 
sympathy  is,  if  we  did  not  suffer.  This  one  con- 
sideration, that  God  pities,  is  worth  more  than  all 
philosophy. 


]94  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

There  is  much  that  is  interesting  and  lovely  in 
pity,  whoever  be  the  object  of  it.  There  is,  how- 
ever, a  peculiar  tenderness  which  belongs  to  the  pity 
felt  for  suffering  children.  Nothing  goes  so  keenly 
to  the  heart  as  the  child's  tear  and  tale  of  sorrow. 
And  is  the  pity  of  the  Lord  like  this  ?  Yes.  It  is 
not  said  that  he  pities  as  man  pities  man,  or  as  one 
pities  children,  or  even  as  a  parent  pities  children ; 
but  as  a  father  pities  his  children,  so  the  Lord 
pities.  "Like  as  a  father" — like  as  one  who  most 
affectionately  loves,  pities  the  dear  object  of  his 
love,  his  child,  his  own  child,  when  that  child  is 
sick,'  and  he  looks  upon  his  altered  countenance, 
and  with  a  weeping  eye  watches  over  him  day  and 
night,  and  hears  his  moans,  and  is  imploringly  ap- 
pealed to  by  him  for  relief  which  it  is  not  in  his  pow- 
er to  give — like  as  he  pities,  so  the  Lord  pities ;  so 
inexpressibly  feels  he  towards  them  that  fear  him. 
Such  deep  and  undefinable  emotions  as  a  parent's 
heart  is  occupied  with,  when  he  says,  "My  poor 
child,"  so  the  Lord  pities.  Can  it  be  ?  It  is  even  so. 
Well,  then,  come  want,  come  sickness,  come  sorrow, 
if  such  pity  may  come  with  it.  The  relief  exceeds 
the  suffering.  The  support  is  greater  than  the  bur- 
den. It  not  only  bears  up,  but  lifts  up  the  soul. 

But  how  does  a  father  pity  ?  Does  he  pity  so  as 
never  to  chastise  ?  Oh,  no.  "  What  son  is  he  whom 
his  father  chasteneth  not  ?"  He  chastens  out  of  pity. 
But  he  so  pities,  that  he  is  infinitely  far  from  taking 


THE  PITY  OF  THE  LORD.  195 

delight  in  the  small-est  sufferings  of  his  children, 
even  when  it  becomes  his  duty  for  their  good  to 
inflict  them.  It  hurts  him  more  to  chastise,  than 
them  to  be  chastised.  In  all  their  afflictions,  he  is 
afflicted ;  and  more  afflicted  than  they.  Have  you 
never  corrected  a  child,  and  gone  away  and  wept  in 
pure  pity  for  him?  Have  you  never  denied  him 
something,  and  found  it  a  greater  self-denial  ?  Is 
such  your  heart  towards  your  children?  Such  is 
,  God's  towards  his.  "He  doth  not  afflict  willingly." 

Again,  a  father  so  pities,  that  he  would  spare  or 
relieve  his  child,  if  he  could;  that  is,  if  he  had  the 
power,  or  having  the  power,  it  were  proper  he 
should  exercise  it.  A  parent  sometimes  has  the 
power  to  relieve,  and  does  not  exert  it.  The  prin- 
ciple of  benevolence  within  him  which  proposes  the 
greatest  good  of  his  child  for  the  longest  period, 
forbids  that  he  should  yield  to  the  impulse  of  com- 
passion which  calls  for  the  rendering  of  immediate 
relief.  He  pities  his  child  too  much  to  relieve  him. 
So  the  Lord  pities.  He  has  always  the  power  to 
relieve ;  and  often  he  exerts  it.  He  always  would, 
if  it  were,  in  view  of  all  considerations,  proper  and 
benevolent  that  he  should.  He  who  for  thee  spared 
not  his  own  Son,  would  spare  thee  every  sorrow 
thou  hast,  and  would  relieve  thine  every  pain;  but 
"  whom  the  Lord  loveth,  he  chasteneth." 

A  father  so  pities  his  children  that  he  would,  if 
he  could,  even  suffer  in  their  stead.  More  than  cne 


186  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

father  has  said,  "Would  God  I  had  died  for  thee; 
my  son,  my  son."  And  is  the  pity  of  the  Lord  like 
a  father's  in  this  particular  too  ?  Yes ;  so  the  Lord 
pities — so  he  has  pitied.  He  could  suffer  in  the 
stead  of  those  he  pitied — and  he  did.  "Surely,  he 
hath  borne  our  griefs  and  carried  our  sorrows." 
He  has  even  died  for  us.  0  what  pity ! 

A  father  so  pities  his  children,  that  to  promote 
their  comfort  and  happiness,  he  will  spare  no  pains 
and  no  expense.  How  freely  the  most  avaricious 
parent  will  spend,  if  the  necessities  of  a  child  re- 
quire it.  The  wants  and  sorrows  of  his  child  can 
open  even  his  heart.  Such  is  the  pity  of  the  Lord. 
He  spared  not  his  own  Son,  but  delivered  him  up 
for  us  all.  Having  one  Son,  his  only-begotten,  he 
gave  even  him  for  us. 

Let  the  child  of  God  derive  from  these  consider- 
ations inexpressible  consolation.  0  think  that  he, 
in  all  thy  sorrows,  pities  thee.  Yes,  thy  God  feels 
for  thee.  Thy  sufferings  go  to  his  heart.  There 
is  one  in  heaven  who,  from  that  exaltation,  looks 
down  upon  thee ;  and  the  eye  that  watches  over 
you  wept  for  you  once,  and  would,  if  it  had  tears, 
weep  for  you  again.  He  knoweth  your  frame.  He 
remembereth  that  you  are  dust.  He  will  not  break 
the  bruised  reed,  nor  quench  the  smoking  flax.  It 
was  he  who,  when  his  disciples  had  nothing  to  say 
for  themselves,  made  that  kind  apology  for  them, 
"The  spirit  is  willing,  but  the  flesh  is  weak."  He 


THE  PITY  OF  THE  LORD.  19" 

can  be  touched  with  the  feeling  of  all  your  infirmi- 
ties. You  may  cast  all  your  cares  on  him,  for  he 
careth  for  you.  All  through  this  vale  of  tears,  you 
may  rest  assured  of  his  sympathy ;  and  when  the 
vale  of  tears  declines  into  the  valley  of  the  shadow 
of  death,  not  his  sympathy  only  will  you  have,  but 
his  inspiriting  presence  and  his  timely  succor.  And 
after  that,  what  will  not  his  bounty  be  whose  pity 
has  been  so  great?  When  there  is  no  longer  any 
occasion  for  pity — when  misery  is  no  more,  and 
sighing  has  ceased,  and  God's  hand  has  for  the  last 
time  passed  across  your  weeping  eyes,  and  wiped 
away  the  final  tear,  what  then  will  be  the  riches  of 
his  munificence?  What  then  will  he  not  do  for 
you,  having  BO  felt  for  you?  You  know  a  father 
feels  a  peculiar  affection  for  a  child  that  has  been 
afflicted,  and  that  has  cost  him  a  great  deal.  How 
will  our  compassionate  Redeemer  cherish  and  caress 
those  who  have  come  out  of  great  tribulation,  and 
for  whom  he  went  through  so  much  more  himself. 
What  must  be  the  glory  of  that  place  to  which  he 
will  take  them,  after  he  shall  have  made  them  per- 
fect through  sufferings.  What  exalted  honors,  what 
ecstatic  joys  must  he  not  have  in  reserve  for  them 
whom  he  came  down  here  to  weep  with,  and  now 
takes  up  thither  to  rejoice  with  himself.  And  now 
that  they  have  ceased  to  sin,  arid  are  perfectly  con- 
formed to  his  image,  what  will  not  be  his  compla- 
cency in  them,  when  his  pity  towards  them  is  so 


168  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

great  in  this  imperfect  state,  in  which  their  suffer- 
ing is  always  mingled  with  sin. 

Well,  then,  since  we  are  the  objects  of  such  pity, 
let  us  be  its  subjects  too.  Let  us  pity,  as  we  are 
pitied.  Cared  for  ourselves,  let  us  care  for  others. 
Let  their  cause  reach  our  hearts,  as  ours  reached 
God's.  Let  us,  for  whom  so  many  tears  have  been 
shed,  be  not  sparing  of  our  tears  for  others'  woes. 
Nor  let  us  give  to  misery  merely  the  tear,  but  speak 
the  word  of  consolation,  and  reach  out  the  hand  of 
help. 


37.    FIVE  NEGATIVES. 

It  is  known  that  two  negatives,  in  English,  are 
equivalent  to  an  affirmative.  They  destroy  each 
other.  But  it  is  not  so  in  Greek.  They  strengthen 
the  negation ;  and  a  third  negative  makes  it  stronger 
still,  and  so  a  fourth,  and  a  fifth.  How  strong  five 
negatives  must  make  a  negation.  But  do  five  ever 
occur?  Whether  they  ever  occur  in  the  Greek 
classics,  I  do  not  know;  but  in  the  Greek  of  the 
New  Testament,  there  is  an  instance  of  the  kind. 
And  what  is  that?  Are  the  five  negatives  used  to 
strengthen  any  threatening?  No;  they  are  con- 
nected with  a  promise,  one  of  the  "exceeding  great 
and  precious  promises"  which  are  given  unto  us. 
The  case  occurs  in  Heb.  13:5  "For  He  hath  said, 


FIVE  NEGATIVES.  189 

I  will  never  leave  thee,  nor  forsake  thee."  There 
five  negatives  are  employed.  We  translate  but  two 
of  them ;  but  there  they  all  are,  as  any  one  may  see 
who  looks  into  his  Greek  Testament.  Now,  they 
need  not  all  have  been  there.  They  are  not  all 
necessary  to  express  the  simple  idea  that  God  will 
never  forsake  his  people.  There  must  have  been 
design  in  multiplying  negatives  so.  I  do  not  believe 
the  phraseology  was  accidental,  and  I  think  it  not 
difficult  to  guess  the  design.  God  meant  to  be 
believed  in  that  thing.  He  would  secure  the  confi- 
dence of  his  children  in  that  particular.  He  knew 
how  prone  they  were  to  doubt  his  constancy,  how 
strongly  inclined  to  that  form  of  unbelief,  and  how 
liable  to  be  harassed  by  the  dread  of  being  forsaken 
by  him;  and  he  would  therefore  make  assurance 
more  than  doubly  sure.  So,  instead  of  saying  sim- 
ply, "I  will  not  leave  thee,"  which  alone  would 
have  been  enough,  he  adds,  "  nor  forsake  thee  ;"  and 
instead  of  leaving  it  thus,  "  I  will  not  leave  thee,  I 
will  not  forsake  thee,"  he  uses  language  equivalent 
to  the  following :  "  I  will  not,  I  will  not  leave  thee ; 
I  will  never,  never,  never  forsake  thee."  There  is 
a  stanza  which  very  faithfully,  as  well  as  beauti- 
fully expresses  it : 

"  The  soul  that  on  Jesus  hath  leaned  for  repose, 
1  w".l  not,  I  will  not  desert  to  his  foes; 
Taat  soul,  though  all  hell  should  endeavor  to  shake 
I  Ml  never — no,  never — no,  never  forsake." 


190  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

How  in.  earnest  God  appears  to  be  in  this  matter. 
How  unworthy  it  is  in  his  children,  after  such  au 
assurance  as  this,  to  suspect  that  he  will  forsake 
them.  He  cannot.  It  is  impossible  for  God  to  lie. 
Here  one  who  was  never  known  to  break  his  word, 
assures  his  people,  each  of  them  individually,  and 
five  times  over  in  a  single  sentence,  of  his  continued 
presence  with  them.  Under  similar  circumstances, 
what  man  of  reputed  veracity  would  be  discredited  ? 
And  shall  not  the  God  of  truth  be  believed  in  a  like 
case? 


38.    HOW  TO  DISPOSE  OF  CARE. 

There  is  such  a  thing  as  care.  Who  does  not 
know  it  by  experience?  Who  has  not  felt  it  at  his 
heart?  How  heavily  it  presses  there,  and  it  pierces 
too.  It  is  a  burden;  and  it  has  also  a  sting.  Noth- 
ing is  more  unfriendly  to  happiness  than  care.  It 
is  hard  being  happy  with  a  load  on  the  heart.  The 
objects  of  care  are  almost  innumerable.  What 
shall  I  eat,  what  shall  I  drink,  and  wherewithal 
shall  I  be  clothed,  are  only  a  few  of  its  anxious 
interrogations,  and  they  are  among  the  least  impor- 
tant of  them.  These  concern  ourselves;  but  care 
often  forgets  self,  in  its  solicitude  for  others.  Par- 
ents, especially  mothers,  know  what  I  mean  by  this. 


HO"W  TO  DISPOSE  OF  CARE.  ]9J 

But  I  need  not  attempt  to  explain  a  word  that  ex- 
presses what  we  all  feel. 

There  is  a  care  both  for  ourselves  and  others 
•which  God  himself  has  cast  upon  us;  and  of  which 
it  were  sinful  to  attempt  to  make  any  other  disposi- 
tion than  he  has  made  of  it.  But  over  and  above 
this,  there  is  a  large  amount  of  solicitude  and  anx- 
iety which  we  lay  upon  ourselves,  and  which  is 
unnecessary,  useless,  and  injurious.  This  is  the 
care  that  is  unfavorable  to  happiness.  The  other  is 
friendly  to  it.  It  is  very  desirable  to  get  rid  of  it, 
since  it  does  us  harm  and  does  no  one  good.  Noth- 
ing is  more  hostile  to  the  successful  care  of  the  soul 
than  the  pressure  and  poignancy  of  the  care  of 
which  I  speak.  "  Careful  and  troubled  about  many 
things,"  we  intermit  or  entirely  overlook  the  care 
of  the  "one  thing  needful."  But  what  shall  we  do 
with  it,  how  get  rid  of  it,  since  to  bear  it  is  so  pain- 
ful to  our  feelings,  and  often  so  ruinous  to  our  better 
interests?  Divide  it  with  others  we  may,  to  some 
little  extent.  There  is  such  a  thing  as  sympathy. 
There  is  such  an  operation  as  unburdening  the 
mind  to  a  fellow-creature.  And  I  will  not  deny 
that  there  is  some  relief  in  it.  Yet  the  very  etymol- 
ogy of  the  word  sympathy,  evinces  that  it  is  no 
remedy.  It  is,  after  all,  a  suffering  together.  A 
great  deal  of  what  constitutes  sympathy,  is  grief 
that  we  can  but  grieve — sorrow  that  we  cannot  suc- 
cor. Mixing  tears  does  indeed  diminish  their  bit- 


102  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

terness;  but  weeping  with  those  that  weep,  does  not 
wipe  away  their  tears.  They  weep  on ;  and  the 
only  difference  is,  that  we  weep  with  them,  and  our 
tears  may  be  said  to  dilute  theirs. 

There  is  a  better  way  of  disposing  of  care  than, 
to  cast  it  on  our  fellow-creatures.  Indeed,  what 
fellow-creatures  can  we  find  who  have  not  enough 
of  their  own  to  bear,  without  receiving  an  addi- 
tional burden  from  us  ?  "What  friend  has  not  him- 
self surplus  care  to  dispose  of? 

There  are  some  who  cast  off  care  without  refer- 
ence to  what  becomes  of  it.  They  sing,  "  Begone 
dull -care."  These  are  the  reckless.  Care  .may  go 
at  their  bidding,  but  the  worst  of  it  is,  it  is  sure  to 
return  again,  and  it  comes  back  a  heavier  burden, 
duller  than  ever.  This  is  not  the  way  to  dispose 
of  care.  Yet  there  is  a  way  whereby  all  excess 
of  Anxiety  may  be  effectually  removed,  and  the 
heart  be  left  with  all  its  tender  affection,  and  yet 
with  no  more  solicitude  than  such  as  the  blessed  in 
heaven  might  feel  without  diminution  of  happiness. 
It  is  to  cast  care  on  God.  That  is  the  true  arid 
only  effectual  way  to  dispose  of  care.  He  can  take 
the  burden,  however  huge  and  heavy.  You  do  not 
doubt  that ;  but  you  ask,  "  Will  he  ?  May  I  cast 
it  on  him — I,  such  a  one  as  I,  cast  my  cares,  the 
whole  multitude  and  burden  of  them,  on  such  a 
being  as  God  ?  I  know  the  government  of  the 
mighty  universe,  and  the  providence  which  extends 


HOW  TO  DISPOSE  OF  CARE.  193 

to  the  minute  equally  as  to  the  magnificent — reach- 
ing low  as  to  the  fall  of  the  sparrow,  and  the  num- 
bering of  the  hairs  of  the  head,  does  not  distract  or 
burden  him.  I  know  he  can  take  a  larger  charge 
and  not  feel  it.  But  will  he  ?  Will  such  greatness 
stoop  to  such  littleness — such  holiness  come  down 
to  such  vileness  ?  Yes,  it  will,  for  condescension  is 
one  characteristic  of  greatness ;  and  "the  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ  his  Son  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin." 
But  why  do  I  reason  ?  Does  not  the  Holy  Ghost  say 
by  David,  "  Cast  thy  burden  upon  the  Lord,  and  he 
shall  sustain  thee;"  and  by  Peter,  "Casting  all 
your  care  upon  him ;"  and  by  Paul,  "  Be  careful 
for  nothing :"  and  does  not  Immanuel  himself  say, 
"  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy 
laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest  ?"  No  longer  ask  if 
you  may,  but  use  your  privilege.  Here  is  your 
authority.  The  Lord  says  you  may  do  it.  Nay, 
more,  commands  you  to  do  it.  It  is  your  duty,  as 
well  as  your  privilege.  So  far  is  it  from  being  pre- 
sumption to  cast  your  care  on  God,  it  is  a  sin  not 
to  do  it. 

This  is  the  way  to  dispose  of  care ;  and  it  is  no 
matter  how  much  there  is  of  it.  God  will  take  it 
all.  It  is  no  burden  to  him.  Many  have  made 
this  disposition  of  their  cares,  and  all  testify  how 
willingly  he  took  and  bore  them  ;  and  if  at  times 
they  took  back  the  burden,  yet  willingly  he  received 
it  again,  when  again  it  was  cast  upon  him. 

Pr»c.  ThoMjhtt.  13 


194  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

There  is  a  reason  given  by  Peter  for  casting  care 
on  God,  that  is  inexpressibly  touching.  He  says, 
"  Casting  all  your  care  on  him,"  and  then  follows 
no  flourish  of  rhetoric,  no  parade  of  reasons,  but 
this — 0,  how  happily  selected,  I  would  say,  but 
that  he  wrote  by  inspiration,  which  does  every 
thing  felicitously — "for  he  careth  for  you."  Why 
should  you  care  for  yourself,  since  God  cares  for 
you  ?  Ah,  here  is  a  topic  not  for  the  meditation  of 
an  hour  merely,  but  of  an  eternity.  He  careth  for 
you.  Can  it  be  ?  0  why  should  he  ?  What  a  thought 
to  carry  through  this  vale  of  tears,  and  to  go  down 
with  into  the  deeper  valley  of  death,  that  God  cares 
for  me  !  He  concerns  himself  about  me.  Let  the 
scholar  look  at  the  original.  The  English  is  good 
enough,  but  the  Greek  is  still  more  interesting. 
God  has  me  on  his  heart.  Some  poor  saints  think 
nobody  cares  for  them.  But  God  does.  Is  not  that 
enough  ?  He  that  regards  the  cry  of  the  raven,  and 
gives  all  the  fowls  of  heaven  their  food,  and  decks 
the  lilies  of  the  field,  doth  much  inore  care  for  you. 
He  concerns  himself  for  his  creatures,  will  he  not 
much  more  for  his  children  ?  Are  ye  not  of  much 
more  value,  whom  no  less  a  price  could  redeem 
than  the  blood  of  his  Son  ?  Let  this  suffice  for  you. 

I  know  not  any  thing  that  goes  so  soon  and 
surely  to  my  heart,  as  the  sight  of  a  poor  sobbing, 
or  sorrowfully  looking  child,  an  orphan,  or  worse 
than  parentless,  whom  no  one  seems  to  caro  for. 


DO  YOU  ENJOY  RELIGION?  195 

But  if  I  weep  at  such  a  sight,  it  dries  up  my  tears 
to  think  that  there  is,  after  all,  one  who  cares  for 
the  poor  child,  even  he  who  said,  ''Suffer  little 
children  to  come  unto  me."  0,  come,  let  us  cast 
our  care  on  God.  Let  us  go  to  Jesus  for  rest.  In 
him  we  shall  find  sympathy  such  as  man  can  feel, 
with  support  such  as  only  God  can  afford.  There 
we  shall  meet  with  such  pity  as  at  first  weeps  with 
the  sufferer,  and  then  wipes  away  his  tears.  Surely 
he  who  hore  our  sins  will  not  refuse  our  cares. 
"Surely  he  liath  borne  our  griefs,  and  carried  our 
sorrows." 


39.    DO  YOU  ENJOY  RELIGION  ? 

I  do  not  ask  you  if  you  possess  religion,  but  do 
you  enjoy  it  ?  Does  it  make  you  happy  ?  The  ques- 
tion is  not  whether  being,  as  you  hope,  a  religious 
person,  you  are  also  happy ;  but  is  it  your  religion 
which  makes  you  happy?  Are  you  happy,  because 
religious?  A  person  may  acknowledge  God,  and 
have  joy,  and  yet  not  "joy  in  God."  Perhaps  you 
will  say  it  helps  to  make  you  happy — that  is,  re- 
ligion and  certain  other  things  together  make  you 
happy.  But  this  answer  is  not  satisfactory.  Re- 
ligion must  more  than  help  to  make  you  happy. 
If  it  only  helps,  it  does  no  more  than  many  other 
things.  They  help.  In  that  case  religion  might 


196  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

be  needful  to  happiness,  even  as  money  is  reckoned 
by  many  to  be ;  but  it  could  not  be  pronounced  to 
be  the  one  thing  needful.  Religion  ought  to  make 
you  happy  without  the  aid  of  any  thing  else.  You 
should  enjoy  it,  though  you  had  nothing  else  to  en- 
joy. Habakkuk  says,  "Although  the  fig-tree  shall 
not  blossom,  neither  shall  fruit  be  in  the  vines ;  the 
labor  of  the  olive  shall  fail,  and  the  fields  shall 
yield  no  meat ;  the  flock  shall  be  cut  off  from  the 
fold,  and  there  shall  be  no  herd  in  the  stalls  ;  yet  I 
will  rejoice  "in  the  Lord,  I  will  joy  in  the  God  of 
my  salvation."  He  regarded  religion  as  able  alone 
to  make  him  happy.  And  are  we  not  commanded 
to  be  happy  in  religion  alone — to  "  rejoice  in  the 
Lord,"  and  that  "  evermore  ?"  Should  we  be  com- 
manded to  be  happy  in  it,  if  it  needed  some  assist- 
ance to  make  us  happy  ? 

Religion  is  both  exactly  adapted  arid  entirely 
adequate  to  make  its  subjects  happy.  It  supplies 
the  soul  with  a  portion ;  and  what  does  the  soul 
want  to  make  it  happy,  but  a  suitable  and  sufficient 
portion  ?  This  the  religious  man  has.  THE  LORD 
is  his  portion.  Is  not  that  a  portion  to  make  him 
happy?  Is  it  not  good  enough,  and  large  enough  ? 
If  the  world  can  make  one  happy,  as  some  suppose, 
cannot  much  more  the  Maker  of  all  worlds,  and  the 
owner  of  the  universe?  This  portion  is  infinite,  so 
that  it  can  never  be  exhausted  ;  and  it  is  eternal, 
BO  that  it  can  never  fail.  And  while  religion  gives 


DO  YOU  ENJOY  RELIGION?  1Q7 

us  a  portion,  what  a  protector,  what  a  provider, 
what  a  comforter  it  aflbrds  us  !  The  best  of  fathers, 
and  the  friend  that  is  more  constant  than  a  brother. 
Then  what  present  good  it  yields,  and  what  prom- 
ises it  makes  of  greater  good  to  come.  What  a 
prospect  it  holds  out !  0,  what  hopes  it  inspires ! 
The  Christian  has  all  these  to  rejoice  in — Christ 
Jesus,  the  "exceeding  great  and  precious  prom- 
ises," the  first-fruits  of  the  Spirit,  and  the  hope  of 
glory.  Can  any  one  say  what  is  wanting  in  relig- 
ion to  make  one  happy  ? 

Religion  Jias  made  many  happy.  Peter,  in  his 
first  general  epistle,  within  the  compass  of  o'nly 
three  verses,  speaks  of  Christians  as  not  only  re- 
joicing, but  rejoicing  "greatly,"  yea,  "with  joy 
unspeakable  and  full  of  glory."  He  speaks  of  it 
not  as  a  duty  or  as  a  privilege,  but  as  a  fact.  They 
did  so.  And  what  they  so  rejoiced  in  was  Jesus 
Christ,  and  the  prospect  of  the  incorruptible  inherit- 
ance, both  which  Christians  have  the  same  warrant 
to  rejoice  in  now.  Now,  if  religion  made  these 
happy,  why  should  it  not  make  others  happy  ?  Why 
should  one  enjoy  it,  and  another  not  enjoy  it,  if  both 
possess  it  ?  It  was  intended  to  make  all  its  subjects 
happy — very  happy. 

I  ask,  then,  does  it  make  you  happy  ?  Do  you 
enjoy  religion  ?  Now,  do  not  evade  the  question. 
What  is  to  become  of  us,  if  religion  does  not  make 
us  happy  ?  If  we  do  not  enjoy  it  here,  how  shall 


198  PRACTICAL   THOUGHTS. 

we  enjoy  it  hereafter  ?  Barely  to  possess  it  hereaf- 
ter would  not  satisfy,  even  if  such  a  thing  could  he. 
How  can  a  religion  which  does  not  make  us  happy 
on  earth,  make  us  happy  in  heaven  ?  The  religion 
of  heaven  is  the  same  in  kind  with  that  of  earth. 
The  only  difference  is  in  degree.  The  religion  of 
earth  is  communicated  from  heaven.  It  must  he 
of  the  same  nature  with  it. 

Besides,  if  our  religion  does  not  make  us  happy, 
how  do  we  do  our  duty?  We  are  commanded  to 
rejoice.  It  is- a  part  of  practical  Christianity  to  he 
happy.  It  is  obedience  to  a  precept.  It  belongs  to 
the  character  of  the  doer  of  the  word.  Moreover, 
how  are  we  to  have  satisfactory  evidence  that  we 
possess  true  religion,  if  we  have  not  joy  in  it  ?  Sup- 
pose we  had  not  love,  would  we  be  Christians  then? 
No,  certainly  ;  for  without  charity  a  man  is  nothing. 
But  why  can  we  not  be  Christians  without  love  ? 
Because  it  is  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit.  And  is  not  joy 
also  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  ?  If  love  is  the  first  named 
of  the  nine,  joy  is  the  second.  "The  fruit  of  the 
Spirit  is  love,  joy,"  etc.  Gal.  5  :  22,  23.  And  these 
are  not  said  to  be  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit.  It  is  not 
the  plural  form  that  is  used.  They  are  not  distinct 
productions.  They  are  all  one  cluster — "the  fruit 
of  the  Spirit."  Now,  since  we  have  not  love,  we 
conclude  we  have  not  the  Spirit ;  why  should  we 
not  conclude  the  same  if  we  have  not  joy?  I  know 
it  may  be  said  that  there  are  many  things  to  inter- 


DO  YOU  ENJOY  RELIGION?  199 

fere  with  Christian  joy.  But  while  these  may  and 
do  diminish  it  and  interrupt  it,  they  do  not  there- 
fore annihilate  it.  There  was  much  to  interfere  in 
the  case  of  those  to  whom  Peter  wrote.  They 
were  "  in  heaviness  through  manifold  temptations." 
Nevertheless  they  rejoiced  "  greatly." 

You  see  now  why  I  ask  you  if  you  enjoy  religion. 
You  perceive  that  it  is  no  insignificant  question. 
Many  profess  to  have  religion,  but  are  conscious 
that  they  do  not  enjoy  it.  They  hope  they  are  re- 
ligious, but  know  they  are  not  happy.  They  trust 
that  God  is  their  portion,  but  they  have  no  joy  in 
him.  Indeed,  some  are  astonished  that  we  should 
speak  of  religion  as  a  thing  to  be  enjoyed.  They 
regard  it  rather  as  a  thing  to  be  endured — as  a  sort 
of  penance,  a  system  of  privation.  And  in  so  far  as 
it  is  not  suffering,  it  is  toil — a  something  composed 
of  penance  and  task.  When  they  betake  themselves 
to  any  thing  of  a  religious  nature,  they  feel  that 
they  must.  A  sort  of  dire  necessity  constrains  them. 
Such  a  religion  may  prepare  a  person  for  hell,  but 
how  it  is  to  qualify  him  for  heaven,  I  see  not.  And 
a  religion  which  does  not  qualify  a  person  for  heaven 
certainly  does  not  answer  the  purpose. 

Many  persons  lament  that  their  religion  does  not 
make  them  happy,  and  they  wonder  why  it  is.  I 
suspect  it  is  because  they  depend  no  more  upon  it 
to  make  them  happy.  They  look  for  enjoyment  too 
much  to  other  sources.  Perhaps,  however,  the  rea- 


200  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

son  they  have  so  little  enjoyment  in  religion  is,  that 
they  have  so  little  religion  to  enjoy.  Now  those 
who  appear  to  have  so  little,  should  seriously  in- 
quire if  they  have  any. 

But  some  say,  "Religion  sometimes  makes  us 
happy."  But  why  only  sometimes ;  why  not  al- 
ways ?  The  command  is,  "Rejoice  in  the  Lord  al- 
ways;" and  the  same  reason  exists  for  heing  happy 
in  religion  at  all  times,  as  at  any  time.  If  you  re- 
joice in  the  world,  no  wonder  if  your  joy  is  often 
interrupted ;  hut  if  God  is  your  God,  and  he  is  ever- 
more the  same,  why  should  you  not  rejoice  in  him 
evermore  ?  But  does  not  the  Lord  sometimes  call 
to  sorrow?  True,  hut  even  then  he  does  not  call 
from  joy.  Joy  and  sorrow  are  perfectly  compatible. 
Were  they  not  coincident  in  the  experience  of  Paul  ? 
"As  sorrowful,  yet  always  rejoicing,"  he  says.  If 
there  exist  causes  of  sorrow  which  operate,  that 
does  not  annihilate  the  causes  of  joy.  They  should 
operate  too.  If  you  seem  to  have  nothing  else  to 
rejoice  in,  yet  there  are  your  sorrows ;  rejoice  in 
them  :  well  may  you,  if  they  work  for  you  "a  far 
more  exceeding  and  eternal  weigh!  of  glory."  Did 
not  Paul  "glory  in  tribulations  also?" 

Let  not  the  reader  rest  satisfied  until  he  enjoys 
religion.  How  are  we  to  die  by  a  religion  which 
we  do  riot  enjoy?  What  can  one  enjoy  when  the 
world  is  receding,  if  he  cannot  enjoy  God  ? 


"LOVEST  THOU  MET"  201 

40.    "  LOVEST  THOU  ME  ?" 

We  make  a  profession  of  Christianity,  and  go 
along  from  day  to  day,  and  perhaps  from  year  to 
year,  supposing  that  we  are  Christians,  and  that  all 
is  well  with  us — that  we  are  equipped  for  the  en- 
counter of  death,  and  prepared  to  meet  our  Judge 
and  take  our  place  in  heaven ;  when  it  may  be  we 
are  not  able  to  answer,  till  after  long  consideration, 
and  then  with  not  a  little  doubt  and  misgiving,  so 
simple  a  question  in  Christian  experience  as,  "Lov- 
est  thou  me  ?"  Peradventure  the  utmost  we  dare 
say,  after  all  our  reflection  and  self-research,  is,  <!I 
really  do  not  know  how  it  is.  I  hope  I  love  him." 
This  will  never  do.  The  question,  "  Lovest  thou 
me  ?"  is  one  which  every  person  making  any  pre- 
tensions to  Christianity,  ought  to  be  able  to  answer 
affirmatively  at  once.  Indeed,  we  ought  not  to  give 
our  Saviour  any  occasion  to  ask  the  question.  It  is 
very  much  to  our  discredit — it  should  make  us  blush 
and  be  ashamed,  that  our  manifestations  of  love  to 
him  are  of  so  equivocal  a  character  as  to  leave  the 
very  existence  of  the  aflection  doubtful,  and  to  ren- 
der it  necessary  for  him  to  interrogate  us  in  reference 
to  it.  There  are  many  less  lovely  beings  than  Christ 
that  have  not  to  ask  us  if  we  love  them.  We  act 
in  such  a  manner  towards  them,  that  they  cannot 
for  a  moment  doubt  the  fact  of  their  being  dear  and 
precious  to  us.  They  do  not  want  our  words  to  assure 


202  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

them ;  they  have  our  uniform  conduct  and  deport- 
ment making  the  silent,  yet  most  forcible  declara- 
tion. Has  your  parent  to  ask  you  if  you  love  him, 
or  your  child  ?  Have  husbands  and  wives,  brothers 
and  sisters  and  friends,  to  ask  this  question  of  each 
other  ?  0  no  ;  none  but  Christ  has  to  ask  us  if  we 
love  him.  And  he  has  riot  only  to  ask  the  question, 
but  to  wait,  sometimes  a  long  while,  for  an  answer. 
We  have  to  consider  and  go  into  an  examination, 
and  call  up  our  conduct  to  the  bar  of  judgment, 
and  dissect  our  very  hearts,  before  we  can  venture 
an  answer.  This  is  strange.  It  is  not  so  in  other 
cases.'  If  a  relative  or  a  friend,  more  for  the  grat- 
ification of  a  renewed  expression  of  our  love,  than 
from  any  doubt  of  its  existence,  ask  us  if  we  love 
him,  do  we  keep  him  waiting  for  an  answer  ?  Do 
we  say,  "Well,  I  must  consider.  I  must  examine 
myself.  I  hope  I  do."  No,  indeed  ;  we  are  ready 
with  our  affirmative.  Nor  is  it  a  cold  Yes  we  re- 
turn, but  we  express  our  surprise  at  the  question : 
"  Love  you !"  And  we  assure  the  person  in  the 
most  emphatic  and  ardent  language,  that  we  love 
him,  arid  all  our  manner  shows  him  that  we  speak 
out  of  the  abundance  of  the  heart.  But  we  do  not 
express  surprise  that  our  Saviour  should  ask  us  if 
we  love  him.  We  do  not  wonder  at  the  question 
from  him.  We  know  too  well  how  much  reason 
we  give  him  to  doubt  our  affection. 

Why  should  there  be  such  a  difference  in  favor 


"LOVEST  THOU  ME  »"  203 

of  the  earthly  objects  of  our  love  ?  Is  not  Christ  as 
lovely  as  those  other  beings,  as  deserving  of  affec- 
tion, as  attractive  of  love  ?  He  is  altogether  lovely. 
Are  they?  He  possesses  infinite  loveliness.  Nor 
does  that  express  all.  He  is  essential  Love.  Nor 
love  at  rest,  but  in  motion ;  nor  far  off,  but  near ; 
exerting  infinite  energy  in  action,  exercising  infinite 
fortitude  in  suffering ;  earth  the  scene,  and  man 
the  object.  It  is  he  who  asks,  "Lovest  thou  me?" 
And  he  of  whom  he  asks  it  is  this  man,  the  intelli- 
gent spectator  of  all  this  love ;  aye,  its  chosen  and 
cherished  object. 

If  Christ  was  not  nearly  related  to  us,  as  those 
other  beings  are,  that  might  be  the  reason  of  the 
difference  in  their  favor.  But  who  is  so  closely 
related  to  us,  so  intimately  joined  to  us,  as  Christ? 
He  formed  us,  and  in  him  we  live,  move,  and  have 
our  being.  Does  not  that  imply  nearness  ?  Is  he 
divine,  while  we  are  human  ?  He  is  human  as  well 
as  divine,  one  of  the  brotherhood  of  flesh  and  blood. 
He  came  down  to  earth  to  take  our  nature  on  him, 
nor  went  up  to  heaven  again  without  it.  There  it 
is — our  humanity  allied  to  divinity,  divinity  radiant 
through  it,  on  the  throne.  Is  he  not  related  to  us? 
He  says  of  every  one  who  does  the  will  of  his 
Father,  "  The  same  is  my  brother  and  sister  and 
mother."  That  alone  relates  us  to  him  more  than 
all  human  ties.  But  that  is  not  all.  Christ  is  the 
husband  of  the  church.  He  is  one  with  it.  If  we 


204  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS.   - 

are  his  disciples,  he  is  the  vine  and  we  the  branches, 
he  the  head  and  we  the  members.  Yea,  "we  are 
members  of  his  body,  of  his  flesh,  and  of  his  bones." 
Does  not  this  express  a  near  and  intimate  relation  ? 
Now  it  is  one  so  near  to  us,  so  joined  to  us,  who 
asks,  "Lovest  thou  me?" 

Have  our  friends,  whom  we  are  so  conscious  of 
loving,  done  more  for  us  than  Christ,  or  made  great- 
er sacrifices  for  us  ?  Are  we  under  greater  personal 
obligations  to  them? 

"Which  of  all  our  friends,  to  save  us, 

Could  or  would  have  shed  his  blood? 
But  our  Jesus  died  to  have  us 
Reconciled,  in  him,  to  God." 

And  yet,  we  know  we  love  those  friends  ;  but  this 
Friend — we  know  not  whether  we  love  him  or  not ; 
we  only  hope  we  do  ! 

Do  other  beings  find  such  difficulty  in  loving 
Christ,  and  are  they  at  such  a  loss  to  know  when 
they  do  love  him  ?  0  no  ;  his  Father  testifies,  "  This 
is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased." 
And  he  is  called  also  his  well-beloved,  his  dear  Son.' 
All  the  angels  of  God  love  and  worship  him,  and 
delight  to  ascribe  infinite  worthiness  to  him.  It  is 
only  men  who  find  any  difficulty  in  loving  Christ. 
It  is  only  the  human  heart  that  hesitates  and  hangs 
back.  Is  there  any  reason  for  this — any  reason  why 
men  should  be  the  last  to  love  Christ,  and  why  they 
should  love  him  least  of  all  who  behold  his  loveli 


"LOVEST  THOU  ME?"  205 

ness  ?  I  see  none ;  but  I  think  I  see  reasons,  many 
and  strong  and  tender,  why  we  should  be  first  and 
most  forward  and  warmest  in  our  affection  to  him. 
How  many  worlds  he  passed  to  alight  on  this.  How 
many  created  natures  he  rejected,  when  from  all  of 
them  he  chose  the  human  to  be  united  to  divinity. 
Others  have  sinned,  yet  not  their  sins  bare  he,  but 
ours.  It  may  be  said  of  other  creatures,  "  He  loved 
them  ;"  but  of  men  only  can  it  be  added,  "  and  gave 
himself  for  them."  And  yet  who  is  so  backward  to 
love  him  as  redeemed  man  ?  Not  tardy  merely. 
0  how  parsimonious  of  his  love ;  loving  him  so  lit- 
tle, that  often  he  cannot  ascertain  if  he  loves  at 
all.  Shame,  where  is  thy  blush ;  and,  sorrow,  where 
thy  tear  ? 

0  how  different  Christ's  love  to  us,  from  ours  to 
him!  We  have  not  to  ask  him  if  he  loves  us.  If  any 
one  should  ever  ask  that  question  of  Jesus,,  he  would 
say,  "  Behold  my  hands  and  my  feet."  He  bears  on 
his  very  body  the  marks  of  his  love  to  us.  But  what 
have  we  to  point  to  as  proofs  of  our  love  to  him  ? 
What  has  it  done  for  him  ;  what  suffered?  0.  the 
contrast!  His  love  so  strong,  ours  so  weak;  his 
so  ardent,  ours  so  cold  ;  his  so  constant,  ours  so 
fickle  ;  his  so  active,  ours  so  indolent.  So  high, 
so  deep,  so  long,  so  broad  his  love,  its  dimensions 
cannot  be  comprehended,  it  passeth  knowledge  ; 
while  ours  is  so  limited  and  so  minute,  it  eludes 
research. 


206  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

"Dear  Lord,  and  shall  we  ever  live 

At  this  poor  dying  rate ; 
Our  love  so  faint,  so  cold  to  thee, 
And  thine  to  us  so  great?" 


41.    THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 

How  are  we  to  know  whether,  being  nominally 
Christians,  we  are  also  really  Christians  ?  It  is 
important  to  know  if  we  possess  the  thing  signified 
by  Christianity.  The  mere  name  and  fame  of  the 
thing  will  be  of  little  use  to  us. 

Now,  the  Bible  tells  us  what  Christians  are.  If, 
then,  we  are  what  the  book  says  Christians  are,  we 
are  Christians.  Every  body  admits  this,  that  a 
scriptural  Christian  is  without  doubt  a  real  one. 
But  some  seem  to  hesitate  about  admitting  the  con- 
verse of  the  proposition,  that  if  we  sue  not  what  the 
Bible  says  Christians  are,  we  are  not  Christians. 
The  reason  they  hesitate  can  only  be  that  they  per- 
ceive or  fear  the  latter  conclusion  makes  against 
themselves ;  for  the  one  is  as  clearly  and  certainly 
true  as  the  other.  What  use  could  there  be  in  state- 
ments declaring  what  Christians  are,  if  individuals 
may  be  Christians  without  being  what  Christians 
are  thus  declared  to  be  ?  Indeed,  what  truth  would 
there  be  in  such  statements?  That  is  no  character- 
istic of  a  class  which  does  not  belong  to  all  the 
individuals  of  the  class.  The  declaration  "Kany 


LIGHT  OF  THE   WORLD.  207 

man  be  in  Christ  Jesus,  he  is  a  new  creature,"  is 
neither  useful  nor  true,  if  some  are  in  Christ  who 
are  not  new  creatures.  The  same  may  be  said  of 
the  assertion,  "  There  is  therefore  now  no  condem- 
nation to  them  that  are  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  walk 
not  after  the  flesh,  but  after  the  Spirit,"  if  a  solitary 
individual  is  pardoned  and  freed  from  condemna- 
tion who  still  walks  after  the  flesh.  There  is  nei- 
ther sense  nor  sincerity  in  it ;  nor  in  this  other  pas- 
sage, "They  that  are  Christ's  have  crucified  the 
flesh,  with  the  affections  and  lusts,"  if  some  are 
Christ's  who  have  never  put  the  flesh  and  its  lusts 
to  that  kind  of  death. 

It  must  be  admitted,  that  if  we  are  not  what  the 
Bible  says  Christians  are,  we  are  not  Christians  in 
fact.  We  may  as  well  admit  it  first  as  last.  Christ 
says  we  are  to  be  judged  by  his  word,  not  by  any 
favorite  author  of  ours,  Blair  or  Paley,  or  whoever 
he  may  be ;  not  by  any  sermon  we  may  have  heard 
from  this  or  that  minister ;  not  by  the  standard  that 
may  have  been  set  up  in  some  conversation  with  an 
eminent  divine ;  not  by  the  opinion  entertained  in 
the  circle  in  which  we  move ;  nor  by  what  seems 
to  stand  to  our  reason.  There  will  be  no  spreading 
out  of  these  when  the  Judge  shall  sit.  The  Bible 
will  be  the  only  book  of  law  and  authority  opened 
then. 

I  know  very  well  there  is  nothing  netv  in  what 
I  am  saying.  Any  body  can  say  it,  and  say  it  as 


208  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

well.  Every  body  knows  it  already.  But  it  is  one 
of  the  old  things  that  we  need  to  be  often  reminded 
of.  I  know  nothing  we  are  more  prone  to  forget 
than  these  common-place  truths.  It  is  what  we 
know  best,  and  most  firmly  believe,  that  we  fail 
most  to  consider  and  lay  to  heart.  The  most  famil- 
iar truths  have  always  been  the  truths  by  men  most 
disregarded. 

But  let  us  hear  what  the  Bible  says  Christians 
are,  for  I  did  not  intend  so  long  an  introduction. 
Well,  the  Bible  says,  among  other  things,  that  they 
are  the  light  of  the  ivorld.  The  blessed  Jesus  him- 
self is  the  speaker,  and  he  is  addressing  his  disci- 
ples, and  he  says  to  them,  "  YE  ARE  the  light  of  the 
world."  Observe,  he  does  not  say,  "Ye  may  be,  if 
you  are  careful  to  live  up  to  your  privileges ;"  or, 
"Ye  ought  to  be — it  is  your  duty;"  or,  "Ye  shall 
be,  by  and  by,  when  you  have  made  greater  prog- 
ress in  religion;"  but  he  speaks  of  it  as  a  present 
tnatter  of  fact,  "Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world." 
So  it  seems  that  Christians  shine.  We  talk  of  a 
shining  Christian,  meaning  to  distinguish  such  a 
one  from  Christians  in  general.  But  there  is  no 
Christian  who  is  not  a  shining  one.  Every  Chris- 
tian emits  light.  Paul  testifies  of  the  Christians  of 
Philippi,  that  they  shone  as  lights  in  the  world. 
They  were  what  Christ  said  his  disciples  were. 
And  must  not  Christians  of  our  cities  and  villages 
be  the  same  ? 


LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD.  209 

It  also  appears  that  Christians  arc  not  merely  re- 
ceivers. They  give  out — they  communicate.  That 
is  their  character.  They  do  not  live  merely  or 
mainly  for  themselves.  A  candle  is  not  lighted  for 
its  own  convenience,  but  for  the  benefit  of  others, 
that  it  may  give  light  unto  all  that  are  in  the  house. 
Some  people  think  it  is  enough,  if  they  personally 
enjoy  religion.  But  that  is  not  the  case.  No  man 
liveth  to  himself — much  more  does  no  Christian. 

There  are  two  objects  for  which  Christians  shine. 
One  is  to  discover  themselves,  that  the  world  may 
know  what  Christians  are,  and  so  be  led  to  emulate 
the  character.  This  our  Saviour  contemplates  when 
he  says,  "Let  your  light  so  shine  before  men,  that 
they  may  see  your  good  works,  and  glorify  your 
Father  which  is  in  heaven."  We  are  to  emit  light 
for  others  to  see  by  ;  and  it  is  that  they  may  see  our 
good  icorks.  All  Christians  perform  good  works. 
They  are  all  of  them  doers.  They  are  the  most 
practical  men  in  the  world,  through  regarded  by 
many  as  visionaries.  There  are,  to  be  sure,  specu- 
lators and  theorists  enough  in  the  church,  but  real 
Christians  are  working-men.  But  what  is  the  use 
in  our  good  works  being  seen?  Why  is  it  not 
enough  that  they  be  done?  Does  not  humility 
dictate  that  they  should  be  concealed,  rather  than 
exposed?  The  thing  is  impracticable.  "A  city 
that  is  set  on  a  hill,  cannot  be  hid."  Were  the 
thing  possible,  the  attempt  at  concealment  might 

Fr*r.  Thought!.  1  I 


210  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

be  proper  enough,  if  there  were  no  others  to  be 
influenced  by  the  sight  of  our  good  works.  Wheth- 
er a  candle  in  an  uninhabited  house  be  on  a  can- 
dlestick or  under  a  bushel,  is  a  matter  of  little  con- 
sequence ;  but  not  so,  if  there  be  people  in  the  house. 
The  Christian's  good  works  are  to  be  visible;  not 
that  he  may  be  applauded  for  them,  but  that  men 
may  thence  be  led  to  glorify  God.  Now,  a  question. 
Do  ive  shine  ?  And  by  the  light  which  we  evolve, 
do  observers  see  our  good  works  ?  Have  we  any 
good  works  for  them  to  see?  And  are  they  such 
good  works  as,  seeing  they,  will  instinctively  refer 
to  the  grace  of  God  as  their  cause,  and  so  be  led  to 
glorify  him  ?  We  are  a  chosen  generation,  a  royal 
priesthood,  a  holy  nation,  a  peculiar  people ;  that 
we  should  shoio  forth  the  praises  of  him  who  hath 
called  us  out  of  darkness  into  his  marvellous  light. 
I  would  not  have  any  one  suppose  that  a  Chris- 
tian is  to  make  an  effort  to  let  his  good  works  be 
seen — to  be  ostentatious  of  them.  No,  he  is  only  to 
let  his  light  shine.  He  is  active  in  doing  good  works, 
but  quite  passive  in  sJicnving  them.  A  luminous 
body  makes  no  effort  in  emitting  light.  Indeed,  it 
cannot  help  shining.  A  Christian  has  only,  in  all 
his  intercourse  with  men,  to  act  out  the  Christian 
spirit,  and  be  governed  by  the  fear  of  God  and  the 
principles  of  his  holy  religion,  and  the  thing  is  done. 
The  light  is  emitted,  and  the  good  works  are  seen. 
And  this  is  the  way,  under  God,  to  commend  truth 


LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD.  211 

to  the  conscience,  to  reach  the  hearts  of  men,  and 
make  converts  to  God.  Yes,  this  is  the  way.  "  Hav- 
ing your  conversation  honest  among  the  Gentiles: 
that  whereas  they  speak  against  you  as  evil-doers, 
they  may  by  your  good  works  which  they  sliall  be- 
hold, glorify  God  in  the  day  of  visitation."  Another 
question.  Is  this  what  ice  are  doing — shining  so 
that  men,  knowing  we  profess  the  religion  of  Jesus, 
see,  in  looking  at  us,  how  pure,  lovely,  excellent, 
and  divine  a  religion  it  is,  and  are  led  to  say,  "Ver- 
ily, it  must  be  from  God,  and  we  must  embrace  it 
too — we  will  be  Christians?" 

The  other  object  for  which  Christians  shine,  is  to 
erdigliten  others.  But  on  this  I  cannot  now  enlarge. 
Only  this  I  would  observe.  See  how^/ar  Christians 
shine.  They  do  not  merely  illumine  some  little 
sphere.  They  are  the  light  of  the  world.  Their 
influence  reaches  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 

Would  we  make  good  our  Saviour's  assertion 
with  respect  to  ourselves,  would  we  be  the  light  of 
the  world,  let  MS  first  take  heed  that  the  light  which 
is  in  us  be  not  darkness;  and  let  us  next  have  a 
care  that  our  light  make  discovery  to  others  of  good 
works.  Let  us  do  them.  Then,  as  for  those  who 
see  us,  it  is  their  fault,  not  ours,  if  they  are  not  con* 
verted.  And  as  for  those  who  are  too  far  off  to  see 
us,  it  only  remains  that  we  carry  them  the  light,  or 
send  it  to  them. 


212         PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 


42.  THE  SALT  OF  THE  EARTH. 

Here  is  something  else  which  Christians  are.  All 
that  they  are  cannot  be  told  in  a  single  sentence. 
It  requires  many.  Some  content  themselves  with 
a  partial  representation  of  the  Christian  character. 
But  the  proper  plan  is  to  bring  together  all  the 
Bible  has  to  say  about  it,  and  then  aptly  to  arrange 
the  parts  so  as  to  present  a  full  and  perfect  deline- 
ation. Many  seem  to  think  that  every  definition  of 
religion  in  the  Bible  is  intended  to  exhaust  the  sub- 
ject. It  is  a  great  mistake,  and  one  which,  I  fear, 
is  fatal  to  many. 

Christians  are  the  light  of  the  world,  as  has  been 
already  said.  But  this  is  not  all  they  are,  they  are 
also  "the  salt  of  the  earth,"  and  the  same  individ- 
uals are  both  these ;  they  do  not  merely  shine  for  the 
benefit  of  the  world — they  act  upon  it  in  another, 
more  immediate,  and  more  energetic  manner :  they 
are  not  merely  light  to  it,  but  salt  to  it  also.  They 
preserve  it. 

Here  let  me  remark  what  a  useful  people  Chris- 
tians are.  What  are  more  useful,  I  may  say  indis- 
pensable, than  light  and  salt  ?  How  could  we  get 
along  at  all  without  them?  Well,  Christians  are 
these  to  the  moral  world.  They  enlighten  it.  They 
discover  moral  excellence  to  it.  Yea,  they  preserve 
it  from  perishing.  The  world  would  not  keep  but 


SALT  OF  THE  EARTH.  213 

for  Christians.  They  are  the  salt  of  the  earth. 
How  soon  Sodom  was  destroyed  after  Lot  left  it. 
He  was  the  salt  of  Sodom.  That  one  good  man 
saved  the  city  while  he  remained  in  it ;  and  if  there 
had  been  nine  more,  they  might  all  have  remained, 
and  Sodom  should  have  been  spared.  Well  may  I 
say,  how  useful  Christians  are  to  their  fellow-crea- 
tures. And  I  may  add,  how  variously  useful  they 
arc.  If  they  were  merely  light  to  the  world,  they 
could  be  very  useful,  but  they  are  also  salt  to  it. 

Moreover,  what  a  disinterested  people  Christians 
are.  It  is  not  to  themselves  mainly  that  they  are 
so  useful,  but  to  others.  Not  a  man  of  them  liveth 
to  himself.  Light  shines  not  for  its  own  advan- 
tage, and  salt  exists  wholly  for  the  benefit  of  other 
substances ;  and  how  completely  it  spends  itself  on 
them,  and  loses  itself  in  them.  Such  are  Christians. 
They  please  not  themselves.  They  seek  not  their 
own.  This  is  what  we  are,  if  we  are  Christians. 

And  now  I  have  another  grave  reflection  to  make. 
How  different  Christians  are  from  the  residue  of 
men.  How  very  unlike  them.  Others  are  not  the 
light  of  the  world,  and  the  salt  of  the  earth.  No, 
they  are  the  world — the  persons  that  require  the 
light — the  dark  objects.  They  are  the  earth,  which 
needs  the  salt  for  its  preservation.  They  are  the 
corrupt  mass.  Now,  light  is  very  unlike  the  objects 
it  illumines,  and  salt  very  unlike  the  substance  it 
preserves  or  seasons.  If  it  were  not,  it  would  not 


214  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

at  all  answer  the  purpose  intended  by  its  applica- 
tion. Well,  just  as  unlike  other  men,  unregencrate 
men,  the  men  of  the  world,  are  Christians — as  un- 
like as  are  light  and  the  world,  or  salt  and  the  earth. 
But  some  say  this  is  figurative  language.  What 
if  it  is  ?  Figures  mean  something.  They  mean  as 
much  as  literal  phraseology.  And  the  meaning  of 
figures  is  as  easily  gained  as  that  of  any  other  kind 
of  language.  But  St.  John  speaks  on  this  subject 
without  a  figure,  and  he  employs  one  of  the  stron- 
gest arid  most  striking  expressions  I  have  ever  read. 
To  many  ears,  it  does  not  sound  at  all  charitable. 
He  says,  speaking  in  the  name  of  Christians,  "We 
know  that  we  are  of  God,  and  the  whole  world  lieth 
in  wickedness;"  or,  to  translate  the  original  more 
literally,  and  to  make  the  contrast  still  more  strik- 
ing, in  the  wicked  one.  This  is  his  account  of  the 
difference  between  Christians  and  others.  Chris- 
tians are  of  God ;  all  other  men  are  in  the  wicked 
one.  Nor  is  it  wonderful  that  Christians  are  so 
very  different  from  others,  when  we  consider  that 
they  become  such  by  being  created  anew  in  Christ 
Jesus.  Such  a  work  of  God  upon  them  must  needs 
make  them  very  unlike  those  who  are  not  the  sub- 
jects of  it.  Creation  makes  a  vast  difference  in 
things.  The  first  creation  did.  The  second  does 
also.  The  new  creature  differs  widely  from  the 
mere  creature.  The  Christian  is  eminently  distin- 
guished from  the  man. 


SALT  OF  THE  EARTH.  215 

Christians  are  exhorted  not  to  be  conformed  to 
the  world.  It  would  seem  impossible  that  real 
Christians  should  be  conformed  to  it.  It  would 
appear  to  be  as  contrary  to  their  nature  to  be  con- 
formed to  the  world,  as  for  light  to  resemble  dark- 
ness, or  salt  any  insipid  or  corrupt  substance. 

But  the  world  say  they  do  not  see  the  mighty 
difference  between  Christians  and  other  men.  Per- 
haps it  is  because  they  do  not  look  at  the  right 
persons.  It  is  no  wonder  they  do  not  see  a  mighty 
difference  between  some  professors  of  religion  and 
the  rest  of  mankind,  for  no  such  difference,  exists. 
It  is  not  to  be  seen.  It  is  not  every  professor  that 
is  a  true  Christian.  There  are  some  that  pass  for 
Christians,  of  whom  it  may  be  said,  that  the  light 
which  is  in  them  is  darkness.  Such  are  not  the 
lights  of  the  world.  They  need  themselves  illu- 
mination more  than  any  others,  for  the  darkness 
which  is  in  them  is  great.  Again,  there  are  those 
in  whom,  according  to  the  case  supposed  by  our 
Saviour,  the  salt  has  lost  its  savor — its  saline  qual- 
ity. Yes,  there  are  insipid  Christians.  That  such 
should  not  manifest  the  difference  which  exists 
between  real  Christians  and  others,  is  surely  not  to 
be  wondered  at.  These  differ  from  others  rather  in 
being  worse  than  better  than  they.  What  is  so 
worthless  as  salt  which  has  lost  its  savor  ?  "  It  is 
thenceforth  good  for  nothing,  but  to  be  cast  out,  and 
to  be  trodden  under  foot  of  men."  Just  so  it  is  with 


216  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

graceless  professors  of  religion.     They  serve  no  good 
turn,  tut  many  an  ill  one. 

But  some  are  not  entirely  without  the  saline 
principle,  yet  have  it  in  great  weakness.  They 
are,  if  I  may  so  speak,  only  a  little  brackish  with 
it.  Let  such  give  diligence  to  grow  in  grace.  And 
let  us  all  see  to  it  that  we  have  salt  in  ourselves, 
that  we  may  be  in  this  respect  also  what  Christ 
says  his  disciples  are,  "the  salt  of  the  earth." 


43.    THE  DISTANCE  OF  DEATH. 

How  far  from  any  human  being  is  death  ?  This 
is  not  equivalent  to  asking  when  he  will  actually 
die.  That  may  not  be  for  years  to  come.  But  all 
that  time  how  far  off  is  death  from  him  ?  Not  far, 
only  a  step.  "  There  is  but  a  step  between  me  and 
death."  Death  is  always  at  just  the  same  distance 
from  every  man,  though  all  do  not  die  at  the  same 
time,  and  some  live  to  a  much  greater  age  than 
others.  Death  is  as  contiguous  to  childhood  and 
youth,  as  it  is  to  manhood  and  old-age.  Facts  are 
every  day  proving  it.  From  no  subject  of  human 
life,  and  from  no  point  or  period  of  it,  is  death  ever 
at  a  greater  distance  than  may  be  measured  by  a 
step.  David  said  what  I  have  quoted  of  himself. 
It  is  just  as  true  of  all  men,  unless  some  aro  pro- 
tected, as  Hezekiah  was,  by  a  promise  of  God  that 


DISTANCE  OF  DEATH.  217 

he  should  live  a  number  of  years.  David  said  it 
in  a  moment  of  panic.  He  might  have  said  it  in 
his  calmest  hour.  It  is  no  piece  of  extravagance ; 
it  is  a  sober  reality.  It  is  plain  matter  of  fact,  that 
all  we  who  live,  live  at  precisely  this  little  distance 
from  death,  and  no  more.  David  said  it  in  view 
of  a  particular  danger.  But  there  are  a  thousand 
dangers  besetting  every  man,  any  one  of  which 
could  justify  the  language.  We  sometimes  seem  to 
be  nearer  death  than  at  other  times ;  and  we  are 
actually  sometimes  nearer  dying.  Every  hour  brings 
us  nearer  dying,  but  not  nearer  death,  for  that  is 
never  but  "a  step"  off.  That  is  always  close  at 
our  side — our  companion  through  life.  The  whole 
course  of  life  is  in  the  closest  proximity  to  death. 
We  are  not  merely  tending  towards  a  brink,  over 
which  ultimately  we  are  to  plunge,  but  we  are  all 
the  time  travelling  on  that  brink.  We  are  not 
journeying  towards  a  precipice  which  may  be  more 
or  less  distant  from  us,  but  our  whole  way  winds 
along  the  frightful  edge  of  the  precipice.  Our  dan- 
ger does  not  commence  just  before  we  actually  die, 
but  it  attends  us  all  the  way  of  life.  It  is  true, 
some  escape  it  for  a  long  time,  but  there  is  not  a 
point  in  the  path  which  has  not  been  so  dangerous 
as  to  prove  fatal  to  some  travellers. 

It  is  this,  if  I  mistake  not,  which  makes  our  con- 
dition here  so  fearful — this  perpetual  insecurity — 
tbis  ever-present  and  imminent  peril.  It  is  not  the 


•^18  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

certainty  of  the  fact  in  regard  :o  death  that  is  so 
very  appalling  to  the  soul.  It  is  the  uncertainty  of 
the  time.  It  is  not  that  ultimately  we  must  die, 
but  that  presently  we  may.  It  is  the  thought  of 
being  necessarily  always  so  near  that  great  evil — 
always  immediately  adjacent  to  the  judgment — al- 
ways close  upon  the  confines  of  eternity,  and  always 
within  a  little  of  our  everlasting  abode — the  jour- 
ney from  every  point  of  our  path  so  short — a  single 
sta.ge,  a  single  step.  Now  here,  anon  there — this 
hour  with  men,  the  next  with  God:  to-day  only  can- 
didates for  immortality,  to-morrow  its  incumbents — 
to  day  on  trial  for  eternity ;  to-morrow  tried,  and 
the  case  decided  irreversibly  and  for  ever  :  on  earth 
to-day,  to-morrow  in  heaven  or  in  hell — nor  yet  the 
interval  always  so  great  as  a  day.  I  do  not  think 
the  fearfulness  of  man's  condition  in  view  of  these 
considerations,  is  capable  of  being  exaggerated.  No 
language  can  overstate  it.  If  the  change  await- 
ing us  were  gradually  brought  about,  it  would  not 
be  so  fearful.  If  one  by  one  the  mysterious  liga- 
ments of  life  were  sundered,  and  one  by  one  the 
objects  of  earth  faded  from  our  view,  and  the  novel- 
ties of  eternity  were  slowly  and  separately  unfolded 
to  our  vision  ;  if  the  summons  of  death  designated 
a  distant  day  for  our  appearing  at  the  bar  of  God, 
and  our  way  thither  was  long  and  difficult,  dying 
would  not  constitute  so  formidable  a  prospect  as 
now  it  does.  But  the  fact  is,  the  change  is  as  sud- 


DISTANCE  OF  DEATH.  219 

den  as  it  is  great.  The  familiar  scenes  of  the  one 
•world  all  vanish  at  once,  and  the  unimagined  reali- 
ties of  the  other  all  at  once  burst  on  the  beholder. 
The  summons  requires  immediate  attendance,  and 
the  way  is  but  a  step.  There  is  no  doubt  about 
this.  There  are  not  two  minds  on  the  subject. 
Every  one,  when  asked  what  his  life  is,  answers  in 
similar  language,  "  It  is  even  a  vapor,  that  appear- 
eth  for  a  little  while,  and  then  vanisheth  away." 
No  one  contends  for  the  power  or  right  to  boast  of 
to-morrow.  All  see  that  the  Son  of  man  cometh 
at  such  an  hour  as  men  think  not.  The  frequent 
sudden  precipitation  into  the  grave  and  the  eternal 
world,  of  persons  of  all  ages,  and  of  every  condition 
of  body,  evinces  that  between  them  and  death  there 
was  but  a  step.  And  how  should  there  be  more 
between  us  and  death  ?  The  reasons  which  deter- 
mine God  in  the  dispensations  of  life  and  death  are 
perhaps  more  inscrutable  than  those  which  govern 
any  other  part  of  his  conduct.  There  is  no  class 
of  facts  out  of  which  it  is  so  perfectly  impossible  to 
construct  a  theory,  as  those  which  relate  to  human 
mortality.  '  * 

So,  then,  death  is  but  a  step  off,  and  we  cannot 
move  him  further  from  us.  He  will  keep  just  at 
that  distance,  though  he  may  long  maintain  it. 
He  will  be  ever  threatening  us — his  weapon  ever 
uplifted  and  over  us,  though  he  cannot  strike  until 
the  word  is  given  him  from  another.  Is  it  so  ?  Is 


220  PRACTICAL   THOUGHTS. 

death  but  a  step  removed — so  near  as  that  ?  Then, 
if  there  be  any  thing  in  death  which  requires  prepa- 
ration— and  is  there  not? — how  important  that  from 
the  earliest  dawn  of  reason  it  should  be  made ;  so 
that  we  may  be  ever  prepared  for  that  which  is 
ever  so  near — always  in  panoply  to  meet  an  enemy 
always  at  hand. .  How  absurd  to  put  off  prepara- 
tion for  death,  when  one  cannot  put  off  death  itself. 
Is  the  reader  prepared  to  die  ?  He  has  entertained 
less  momentous  questions  than  this.  Is  he  in  readi- 
ness to  take  the  step  which  separates  him  from  all 
that  is  final  and  formidable  in  death  ?  Will  he  not 
seriously  institute  and  faithfully  prosecute  this  in- 
quiry ? 

But  if  death  is  so  near,  there  are  other  things 
even  more  formidable  than  death,  which  cannot  be 
far  off.  Judgment  is  near,  if  death  is.  Yes,  "  The 
Judge  standeth  before  the  door."  How  near  to 
every  accountable  being  is  the  place  and  period  of 
his  final  reckoning  !  To-morrow  he  may  have  to 
answer  for  the  deeds  of  to-day ;  or  to-day,  of  yester- 
day's. How  many  accounts  are  closed  every  day — 
how  many  cases  decided  daily  at  that  court  of  ulti- 
mate adjudication  !  Arid  are  we  so  near  the  awful 
interview,  the  tremendous  audit  ?  And  does  it  not 
affect  us  at  all?  Are  we  so  well  prepared  for  it,  or 
so  careless  of  being  prepared  for  it  ? 

Retribution  ensues  immediately  on  judgment. 
That  also  is  but  the  distance  of  "a  step."  Now, 


DISTANCE  OF  DEATH.  221 

if  that  retribution  were  temporal  and  mutable,  the 
thought  would  be  alarming.  But  it  is  eternal  and 
irreversible.  Ah,  then,  if  these  things  be  so,  how 
near  to  some  is  perdition  !  It  is  the  verge  of  that 
dark  and  fathomless  abyss  on  which  they  so  se- 
curely tread.  What  a  risk  they  run.  The  prize 
ought  to  be  great  which  is  sought  at  such  a  peril. 
So  near  to  hell !  What  a  position  to  occupy  !  But  if 
the  sinner  will  repent,  and  behold  the  Lamb  of  God, 
and  yield  his  heart  to  the  Lord,  then  he  shall  be  as 
near  to  heaven.  There  stfall  be  but  a  step  between 
him  and  it.  Some  are  as  near  as  all  that  to  heaven. 
It  is  not  a  day's  journey  there.  It  is  but  to  take  a 
step,  and,  follower  of  Jesus,  thou  art  where  no  night 
is,  and  no  sound  of  moaning  is  heard,  and  every  tear 
is  wiped  away.  So  near  to  heaven  !  How  frequent 
then  and  fond  should  be  your  thoughts  of  it.  All 
BO  near  !  Then  "what  manner  of  persons  ought  we 
to  be  in  all  holy  conversation  and  godliness  !"  How 
carefully  and  circumspectly  ought  they  to  walk 
whose  path  lies  along  such  a  brink. 

And  since  the  end  of  all  our  opportunities  is  as 
near  as  death,  whatever  our  minds  meditate,  or  our 
hands  find  to  do,  for  our  own  souls,  for  the  good  of 
others,  or  for  the  glory  of  God,  let  us  do  it  with  our 
might. 


222  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

44.    "WHY  SO  LOATH  TO  DIE  ? 

I  find  within  me  a  strange  reluctance  to  die ;  and 
I  perceive  in  others  indications  of  a  similar  unwill- 
ingness. Indeed,  it  is  rare  to  meet  with  one  who 
does  not  participate  in  this  general  and  great  aver- 
sion to  dying.  Now  I  do  not  wonder  that  some  are 
unwilling  to  die.  Nature  revolts  at  death.  It  is 
the  object  of  her  strongest  antipathy.  It  is  not 
strange,  therefore,  that  mere  natural  men  should 
be  averse  to  it.  Some  have  nothing  to  die  for. 
How  can  it  be  expected  that  they  should  be  willing 
to  die  ?  They  have  nothing  beyond  the  grave  to 
go  to.  Their  possessions  all  lie  on  this  side  of  it. 
They  have  their  portion  in  this  life — their  good 
things  here.  Do  you  wonder  they  are  reluctant  to 
leave  them  ?  To  such  to  die  is  loss.  Death  is  not 
theirs,  as  it  is  the  Christian's ;  but  on  the  other 
hand,  they  are  death's.  Jesus  is  not  precious  to 
them.  How  should  they  be  "willing  rather  to  be 
absent  from  the  body  and  to  be  present  with  the 
Lord?"  What  Paul  esteemed  "far  better"  than 
life — dying  in  order  to  be  with  Christ — has  for 
thorn  no  charm  whatever. 

But  that  the  spiritual  man,  the  disciple  and  friend 
of  Jesus,  the  child  and  heir  of  God,  should  be  BO 
strongly  averse  to  death,  deserves  to  be  considered 
strange.  We  might  indeed  expect  that  there  should 
remain  some  of  the  reluctance  of  nature  to  death, 


WHY  LOATH  TO  DIE?  223 

even  in  the  subjects  of  grace,  for  Christianity  does 
not  destroy  nature  ;  but  that  this  reluctance  should 
be  so  strong,  and  often  so  predominant,  that  grace 
should  not  create  a  desire  for  death  stronger  than 
nature's  aversion  to  it,  is  what  surprises  us. 

I  am  sure  it  ought  not  to  be  as  it  is.  Certainly 
every  Christian  ought  to  be  able  to  say  with  Paul, 
"  Having  a  desire  to  depart  and  be  with  Christ, 
which  is  far  better."  However  averse  to  being  "  un- 
clothed," he  should  yet  be  willing  to  be  "clothed 
upon,  that  mortality  might  be  swallowed  up  of 
life."  Life  required  an  exercise  of  patience  in  the 
saints  of  old,  which  seems  to  have  no  existence 
now.  Job  says,  "All  the  days^of  my  appointed  time 
will  I  wait,  till  my  change  come."  Then  Chris- 
tian submission  was  exercised  in  living.  Now,  to 
be  resigned  to  death  is  the  desideratum.  Grace 
had  then  to  make  its  subjects  willing  to  live.  Now 
it  has  to  make  them  willing  to  die. 

How  shall  we  account  for  this  reluctance  ?  What 
if  nature  in  us  be  strong,  is  not  grace  stronger  ? 
Has  it  subdued  our  sins,  calmed  our  agitations,  al- 
layed our  fears,  and  can  it  not  master  this  one  aver- 
sion ?  Have  we  made  experiment  of  what  grace 
can  do  with  the  fear  of  death  ? 

Is  it  because  of  the  pain  of  dying  that  we  shrink 
from  it  ?  But  how  know  we  that  to  die  is  so  very 
painful  ?  In  half  the  cases  of  death  at  least,  it  does 
not  appear  to  be  so.  How  many  sicknesses  we  ore 


224  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

subject  to,  whose  progress  is  attended  with  far  more 
pain.  How  many  surgical  operations  which  men 
readily  submit  to,  are  beyond  all  doubt  productive 
of  more  suffering. 

Is  this  world  so  bright  and  beautiful  that  we  are 
loath  to  leave  it  on  that  account  ?  But  is  not  heav- 
en fairer  and  brighter  far  ?  Here  there  is  night ; 
but  there,  none.  Here  deformity  alternates  with 
beauty;  but  there,  all  is  loveliness.  Here  the  alloy 
prevails ;  there,  there  is  no  mixture,  all  is  pure. 
Can  it  be  possible  that  earth  has  charms  and  at- 
tractions equal  to  those  of  heaven — this  earth, 
which  the  curse  has  lighted  on,  comparable  in  point 
of  beauty  and  loveliness  to  that  heaven  where  God 
manifests  himself,  and  which  Jesus  has  gone  to  pre- 
pare as  the  fit  habitation  and  eternal  home  of  his 
redeemed?  Is  it  conceivable?  Even  the  saints 
who  lived  under  a  darker  dispensation  esteemed  the 
heavenly  a  better  country.  Is  it  the  separations 
which  death  makes,  that  render  us  so  averse  to  die  ? 
True,  it  separates,  but  it  unites  also.  It  takes  us, 
I  know,  from  many  we  love,  but  it  takes  us  to  as 
many  we  love.  Leave  we  a  family  behind  ?  But 
do  we  not  go  to  one  larger,  more  harmonious,  hap- 
pier ?  Are  we  parted  from  friends  by  death ;  and 
are  we  not  joined  to  friends  by  the  same  ?  If  we 
lose  a  father,  do  we  not  find  a  better  Father ;  and 
if  we  leave  a  dear  brother,  do  we  not  go  to  one  who 
"is  not  ashamed  to  call  us  brethren ?"  More  than 


WHY  LOATH  TO  DIE!  225 

half  of  some  families  have  gone  already  to  heaven. 
Why  should  we  be  so  much  more  desirous  of  con- 
tinuing with  the  part  on  earth,  than  of  going  to  the 
portion  in  heaven  ?  Do  those  you  part  from  need 
your  care  and  services  more  than  those  to  whom 
you  go  ?  But  is  it  not  safe  going,  and  leaving  them 
in  charge  of  God  ?  Is  it  not  he  now  who  cares  for 
them  and  watches  over  them,  provides  for  them 
and  defends  them  ?  And  will  he  not  do  it  when  you 
are  dead  and  gone  ?  Ah,  the  parent  clings  to  life, 
and  looks  imploringly  on  death,  when  he  thinks  of 
his  loved  little  ones.  What  will  become  of  them, 
he  asks  ?  What  would  become  of  them  now,  if  they 
had  only  you  to  care  for  them  ?  It  is  not  your  eye 
that  keeps  watch  over  them  ;  nor  your  arm  that  is 
put  underneath  and  round  about  them  ;  nor  your 
hand  from  whose  opening  palm  their  wants  are 
supplied.  It  is  God's.  And  what  he  does  by  you 
now,  cannot  he  do  without  you  ?  Cannot  he  find 
other  agents  and  instruments  when  you  are  laid 
aside  ?  Does  he  not  say  of  the  widows  and  father- 
less children,  "Leave  them  to  me?"  And  will  he 
not  be  faithful  to  the  trust  which  he  solicits  ? 

Do  not  children  desire  to  see  the  face  of  their 
father?  And  are  not  we  children  of  God?  After 
»o  many  years  of  daily  converse  and  communion 
with  him,  and  after  receiving  so  many  tokens  of  his 
paternal  regard,  should  you  not  be  willing  to  go 
now  and  see  him  face  to  face,  whose  unseen  hand 

Prtc.  Thought*.  1    i 


226  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

has  led,  sustained,  and  supplied  you  hitherto?  It 
is  unnatural  in  us  not  to  be  willing  to  go  to  God. 
We  readily  go  to  those  we  love. 

Has  home  no  charm  ?  What  man  is  he,  to  whom 
it  has  not  a  charm?  Who  has  been  long  absent 
from  it,  and  does  not  languish  with  desire  to  reach 
it  ?  But  where  is  home — thy  Father's  house  ?  It  is 
not  here.  It  is  beyond  the  flood.  Earth  is  not 
home.  Heaven  is  home.  Living  is  not  being  at 
home.  Dying  is  going  home.  We  must  die  to 
reach  our  Father's  house.  And  yet  we  are  reluc- 
tant to  die. 

Do  you  dread  the  way?  Do  you  tremble  at  the 
thought  of  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death? 
What,  when  you  are  sure  of  such  company  as  that 
of  Jesus  ?  Will  you  fear  with  him  at  your  side  ? 
Do  not  talk  of  the  cold  arms  of  death.  Thinlr 
rather  of  the  warm  embrace  of  Jesus.  Does  he  not 
say  he  will  come  for  you?  "If  I  go  .  .  .  .  I  will 
come  again,  and  receive  you  unto  myself."  Angela 
may  minister  to  the  saints  on  common  occasions, 
but  when  a  Christian  dies,  Jesus  himself  attends. 

"But  death  has  a  sting"  You  mean,  he  had 
one.  To  those  who  believe  in  Jesus,  no  sting  of 
death  remains. 

Fear  you  the  consequences  of  dying?  Does  the 
thought  of  the  presence  into  which  you  are  to  go 
appal  you?  But  you  have  often  been  into  that 
presence  in  prayer;  you  have  appeared  already 


WHY  LOATH  TO  DIET  227 

before  God  on  his  mercy-seat,  and  then  you  have 
wished  the  veil  away.  Why  then  so  unwilling  that 
death  should  withdraw  it?  Were  you  not  glad- 
dened by  those  transient  glimpses  of  his  glory  which 
you  saw?  And  dread  you  no*v  the  full  and  fixed 
gaze  of  his  glory  ?  Have  you  not  often  sighed  foi 
those  brighter  views,  and  those  nearer  and  clearei 
discoveries  which  death  will  afford  you  ? 

Surely,  it  cannot  be  the  judgment  you  fear. 
What,  when  you  are  "accepted  in  the  Beloved?" 
If  accepted  in  yourself,  you  should  not  fear ;  how 
much  less  when  accepted  in  him.  If  God  would 
honor  your  own  righteousness,  had  you  a  righteous- 
ness of  your  own,  will  he  not  much  more  honor 
Christ's  righteousness,  now  become  yours?  What 
if  you  cannot  answer  for  yourself?  Cannot  he  an- 
swer for  you?  But  who  is  the  judge?  Is  it  not 
Jesus,  your  advocate  ?  Will  your  advocate  con- 
demn you  ?  Are  you  afraid  to  meet  your  Saviour  ? 
He  that  summons  you  to  judgment,  is  the  same  that 
said,  "  Come  unto  me,  and  I  will  give  you  rest." 
Would  you  live  always?  I  know  you  would  not. 
But  you  would  live  longer,  perhaps  you  say,  for  the 
sake  of  being  useful  to  others.  But  who  knows 
that  you  may  not  be  more  useful  in  heaven?  Who 
can  say  but  your  death  may  do  more  good  than 
your  life  ?  Besides,  if  God  can  dispense  with  your 
services,  should  you  not  be  willing  to  have  them 
arrested  ? 


228  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

Do  you  not  desire  to  be  freed  from  all  sin  ?  But 
know  you  not  that  only  he  "that  is  dead  is  freed 
from  sin?"  If  you  cannot  be  perfectly  holy  until 
you  die,  ought  you  to  be  so  unwilling  to  die?  Is 
your  desire  of  perfect  holiness  sincere,  while  you 
are  so  averse  to  the  condition  of  it  ? 


45.    HEAVEN'S  ATTRACTIONS. 

I  have  been  thinking  of  the  attractions  of  heav- 
en— what  there  is  in  heaven  to  draw  souls  to  it.  I 
thought  of  the  place.  Heaven  has  place.  Christ 
says  to  his  disciples,  "I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for 
you."  It  is  a  part  of  the  consolation  with  which 
he  comforts  them,  that  heaven  is  a  place,  and  not 
a  mere  state.  What  a  place  it  must  be.  Selected 
out  of  all  the  locations  of  the  universe — the  chosen 
spot  of  space.  We  see,  even  on  earth,  places  of 
great  beauty,  and  we  can  conceive  of  spots  far  more 
delightful  than  any  we  see.  But  what  comparison 
can  these  bear  to  heaven,  where  every  thing  exceeds 
whatever  eye  has  seen,  or  imagination  conceived? 
The  earthly  paradise  must  have  been  a  charming 
spot.  But  what  that  to  the  heavenly  ?  What  the 
paradise  assigned  to  the  first  Adam,  who  was  of  the 
earth,  earthy,  compared  with  that  purchased  by  the 
second  Adam,  who  is  the  Lord  from  heaven?  It  is 


HEAVEN'S  ATTRACTIONS.  229 

a  ''purchased  possession."  The  price  it  cost  the 
purchaser,  every  one  knows.  Now,  having  pur- 
chased it,  he  has  gone  to  prepare  it — to  set  it  in 
order — to  lay  out  his  skill  upon  it.  0  what  a  place 
Jesus  will  make,  has  already  made  heaven.  The 
place  should  attract  us. 

Then  I  thought  of  the  freedom  of  the  place  from 
the  evils  of  earth.  Not  only  what  is  in  heaven, 
should  attract  us  to  it,  but  what  is  not  there.  And 
what  is  not  there  ?  There  is  no  night  there.  "Who 
does  not  want  to  go  where  no  night  is  ?  No  night, 
no  natural  night — none  of  its  darkness,  its  damps, 
its  dreariness  ;  and  no  moral  night — no  ignorance — 
no  error — no  misery — no  sin.  These  all  belong  to 
the  night ;  and  there  is  no  night  in  heaven.  And 
why  no  night  there?  What  shines  there  so  per- 
petually ?  It  is  not  any  natural  luminary.  It  is  a 
moral  radiance  that  lights  up  Jjeaven.  "The  glory 
of  God  doth  lighten  it,  and  the  Lamb  is  the  light 
thereof."  No  need  have  they  there  of  other  light. 
This  shines  everywhere,  and  on  all.  All  light  is 
sweet,  but  no  light  is  like  this. 

And  not  only  no  night  there,  but  "  no  more  curse." 
Christ  redeemed  them  from  the  curse  of  the  law,  be- 
ing made  a  curse  for  them.  And  "no  more  death." 
The  last  enemy  is  overcome  at  last.  Each,  as  he 
enters  the  place,  shouts  victoriously,  "  0  death,  O 
grave!"  "Neither  sorrow."  It  is  here.  0  yes; 
it  is  here — -around,  within.  We  hear  it ;  wo  see  it ; 


230  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

and  at  length  we  feel  it.  But  it  is  not  there.  "  Nor 
crying" — no  expression  of  grief.  "Neither  shall 
there  be  any  more  pain;  for  the  former  things  are 
passed  away."  And  what  becomes  of  tears  1  Are 
they  left  to  dry  up  ?  Nay,  (rod  wipes,  them  away. 
And  this  is  a  sure  sign  they  will  never  return. 
What  shall  cause  weeping  when  he  wipes  away 
tears  ? 

I  have  not  said  that  there  is  no  sin  in  heaven.  I 
have  not  thought  that  necessary.  If  sin  was  there, 
night  would  he  there,  and  the  curse  and  death,  and 
all  the  other  evils — the  train  of  sin.  These  are  not 
there  ;  therefore  sin  is  not.  No,  "we  shall  he  like 
him;  for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is." 

What  is  there,  then,  since  these  are  not  ?  Day  is 
there ;  and  there  is  the  blessing  that  maketh  rich ; 
and  there  is  life,  immortality ;  and  since  no  sorrow, 
joy — "fulness  of  joy — joy  unspeakable, "  and  smiles 
where  tears  were :  and  there  they  rest,  not  from 
their  labors  only,  but  from  cares  and  doubts  and 
fears.  And  glory  is  there,  an  "exceeding  and  eter- 
nal weight." 

Then  I  thought  of  the  society.  It  is  composed  of 
the  elite  of  the  universe.  The  various  orders  of 
angels  who  kept  their  first  estate — as  humble  as 
they  are  high — not  ashamed  of  men.  Why  should 
they  be,  when  the  Lord  of  angels  is  not  ashamed  to 
call  us  brethren  ?  The  excellent  of  the  earth  also — 
all  the  choice  spirits  of  every  age  and  nation  ;  the 


HEAVEN'S  ATTRACTIONS.  231 

first  man;  the  first  martyr;  the  translated  patri- 
arch; the  survivor  of  the  deluge;  the  friend  of 
God,  and  his  juniors,  Isaac  and  Israel;  Moses  the 
lawgiver,  and  Joshua  the  leader  of  the  host;  the 
pious  kings;  the  prophets;  the  evangelists  and 
apostles,  Paul,  John;  the  martyrs;  the  reformers; 
the  Puritan  fathers ;  the  missionaries  Swartz,  Brai- 
nerd,  Martyn — Carey  and  Morrison  have  just  gone 
up ;  and  the  young  brothers  who  ascended  from 
Sumatra — and  another  connected  with  missions, 
"Wisner,  has  heen  suddenly  sent  for  to  heaven. 

Is  that  all?  Where  is  he  who  used  to  lisp  "fa- 
ther, mother" — thy  child?  Passing  out  of  your 
hands,  passed  he  not  into  those  of  Jesus?  Yes,  you 
suffered  him.  If  any  other  than  Jesus  had  said, 
"  Suffer  them  to  come  to  me,"  you  would  have  said, 
No.  Death  does  not  quench  those  recently  struck 
sparks  of  intelligence.  Jesus  is  not  going  to  lose 
one  of  those  little  brilliant?.  All  shall  be  in  his 
crown. 

Perhaps  thou  hast  a  brother  -or  a  sister  there ; 
that  should  draw  you  towards  heaven.  Perhaps  a 
mother — she  whose  eye  wept  while  it  watched  over 
thee,  until  at  length  it  grew  dim,  and  closed.  Took 
she  not  in  her  cold  hand  thine,  while  yet  her  heart 
was  warm,  and  said  she  not,  "  I  am  going  to  Jesus. 
Follow  me  there?"  Perhaps  one  nearer,  dearer 
than  child,  than  brother,  than  mother — the  nearest, 
dearest  is  there.  Shall  I  say  who  ?  Christian  fe- 


232  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS. 

male,  thy  husband.  Christian  father,  the  young 
mother  of  thy  babes.  He  is  not — she  is  not ;  for 
God  took  them.  Has  heaven  no  attractions? 

Heaven  is  gaining  in  attractions  every  day.  True, 
the  principal  attractions  continue  the  same.  But 
the  lesser  ones  multiply.  Some  have  attractions 
there  now,  which  they  had  not  but  a  few  months 
ago.  Earth  is  losing.  How  fast  it  has  been  los- 
ing of  late.  But  earth's  losses  are  heaven's  gains. 
They  who  have  left  so  many  dwelling-places  of 
earth  desolate,  have  gone  to  their  Father's  house  in 
heaven.  What  if  they  shall  not  return  to  us  ?  We 
shall  go  to  them.  That  is  better. 

But  the  principal  attractions  I  have  not  yet  men- 
tioned. There  is  our  Father,  our  heavenly  Father, 
whom  we  have  so  often  addressed  as  such  in  pray- 
er :  he  that  nourished  and  brought  us  up,  and  has 
borne  us  on ;  he  that  has  watched  over  us  with  an 
eye  that  never  sleeps,  and  provided  for  us  with  a 
hand  that  never  tires;  and  who  can  pity  too.  We 
have  never  seen  our  heavenly  Father.  But  there 
he  reveals  himself.  There  he  smiles ;  and  the 
nations  of  the  saved  walk  in  the  light  of  his  coun- 
tenance. 

And  there  is  he,  to  depart  and  be  with  whom 
Paul  desired,  as  being  "far  better"  than  to  live. 
There  is  his  glorified  humanity.  If  not  having 
seen,  we  love  him ;  and  in  him,  though  now  we 
see  him  not,  yet  believing,  we  rejoice  with  joy  un- 


THE  HEAVENLY  RECOGNITION.  233 

speakable  and  full  of  glory,  what  will  be  the  love 
and  the  joy  when  "  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is?" 
There  is  he. 

Heaven  has  attractions,  many  and  strong — and 
yet  who  would  think  it  ?  How  few  feel  and  obey 
the  heavenly  attraction.  How  much  more  power- 
fully earth  acts  upon  us.  How  unwilling  we  are 
to  leave  it  even  for  heaven. 


46.    THE  HEAVENLY  RECOGNITION. 

The  question  is  often  asked,  "Do  you  think  we 
shall  know  each  other  in  heaven?"  Some  are  very 
curious  to  be  informed  on  this  subject.  It  is  a  point 
they  seem  more  anxious  to  know  than  some  other 
more  important  points.  I  am  afraid  we  shall  not 
all  know  each  other  in  heaven.  I  am  afraid  we 
shall  not  all  be  there  to  know  and  be  known.  Let 
us  first  try  to  get  to  heaven.  It  is  more  important 
that  we  should  be  there,  than  that  we  should  know 
what  other  persons  are  there.  Let  us  repent  with 
a  broken  heart,  and  believe  in  Christ  for  a  title  to 
heaven  ;  and  "let  us  follow  holiness,"  that  we  may 
be  furnished  with  a  fitness  for  heaven :  and  being 
ourselves  "  accepted  in  the  Beloved,"  and  sanctified 
through  the  Spirit,  let  us  try  to  get  as  many  others 
to  heaven  as  we  can;  and  let  us  leave  the  subject 


234  PRACTICAL  THOUGHTS 

of  mutual  recognition  in  heaven  for  subsequent 
consideration.  By  the  time  we  have  done  what  I 
recommend,  we  shall  be  close  upon  the  celestial 
confines — perhaps  within  heaven's  limits  *  *  *  * 

[The  article  is  unfinished.  The  beloved  author 
here  laid  down  his  pen ;  and  instead  of  resuming  it, 
was  called,  who  can  question,  to  realize  the  scenes 
he  had  been  describing.] 


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D'Aubigne's  History  of  the  Reforma-  j  Owen  on  Forgiveness,  or  Psalm  130. 
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Banyan's  Pilgrims  Progress,  l'2mo, 
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Memoir  of  Jas.  Milnor,  D.  D. 

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day  in  the  year.  Terse,  pithy,  and 
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Flavel's  Fountain  of  Life,  or  Re- 
demption Provided. 

•i ii_    %t_.i_ i    _r    / 


dences  of  Christianity. 

Riches  of  Banyan. 

Paley's  Natural  Theology,  and  Horn 
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Baxter's  Reformed  Pastor. 

Baxter's  Treatise  on  Conversion. 

Dr.  Spring's  Bible  Not  of  Man,  or 
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Nelson's  Cause  and  Cure  of  Infi- 
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Memoir  of  Summerfield. 

Memoir  of  Mrs.  Isabella  Graham 
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Flavels  Method  of  Grace,  or  Re-  '  Memoir  of  Mrs.  Sarah  L.  Huntingdon 

demption  applied  to  the  Souls  of      Smith. 

Men.  Sacred  Songs  for  Family  and  Social 

FHvel's  Knocking  at  the  Door;  a!     Worship.     Hymns  and  Tunes — 


tender,  practical  appeal. 
Bishop  Hall's  Scripture  History,  or 


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Contemplations  on  the  Historical  Elegant   Narratives,  Select  Tracts, 

Panics  of  the  Old  and  New  Tes-  •      illustrated. 

laments.  kWillison's    Afflicted    Man's     Com- 

Alleine's  Heaven  Opened.  |     pinion 

Bishop  Hopkins  on  the  Ten  Com- ,  Doddndge's  Rise  and  Progress  of  Re- 

mandments.  Three  standard  works       ligion  in  the  Soul. 

of  the  time*  of  Baxter.  |  Edwards'  History  of  Redemption. 

Pri  •  dent  Edwards'  Thoughts  on  Re-  Volume    on    Infidelity,    comprising 

viral*,  five    standard    treatises:    Soame 

Venn's  Complete  Duty  of  Man.        |     Jenyns  on  the  Internal  Evidence  j 


Leslie's  Method  with  Deists ;  Lit- 
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Pike's  Persuasives  to  Early  Piety. 

Pike's  Guide  to  Young  Disciples. 

Anecdotes  for  the  Family  and  the 


TJmversalism  Not  of  God. 
Dibble's  Thoughts  on  Missions, 
The  Bible  True 
Songs  of  Zion. 

Considerations  for  Young  Men. 
Who  are  the  Happy  ? 
Letters  on  Universalism. 


Social  Circle. 

ELEGANT  PRACTICAL  WORKS. 
Wilherforce's  Practical  View. 
Hannah  More's  Practical  Piety. 
James'  Anxious  Inquirer. 
Elijah  the  Tishbite. 
Nevins'  Practical  Thoughts. 


Melvill's  Bible   Thoughts,   selected 
by  the  late  Rev.  Dr.  Mil'nor. 


Harris'  Mammon. 

Gurney's  Love  to  ( 

Foster's  Appeal  to  the  Young. 


Gurney's  Love  to  God. 

iter's  Appea 
Abbott's  Young  Christian 


Abbott's  Mother  at  Home. 
Abbott's  Child  at  Home. 
James'  Young  Man  from  Home. 


CHRISTIAN  MEMOIRS 


Rev.  Claudius  Buchanan,  LL.D.,  in- 
cluding his  Christian  Researches 
in  Asia. 

Rev.  John  Newton. 

Rev.  Henry  Martyn. 

Rev.  David  Brainerd. 

Rev.  Edward  Payson,  D.  D. 

Harriet  L.  Winslow,  Missionary  in 


India. 


James  Brainerd  Taylor 
Harlan  Page. 
Normand  Smith. 
Richard  Baxter. 
Archbishop  Leighton. 
Matthew  Henry. 
Rev.  Samuel  Pearce. 
Rev.  Samuel  Kilpin. 


OTHER  SPIRITUAL  WORKS. 


Edwards  on  the  Affections. 
Baxter's  Call  to  the  Unconverted. 
Alleine's  Alarm  to  the  Unconvertad. 
Flavel's  Touchstone. 
Flavel  on  Keeping  the  Heart. 
Helffenstein's  Self-Deception. 
Sherman's    Guide    to    an  Acqaint- 


ance  with  God. 


Pike's  Religion  and  Eternal  Life. 


Baxter's  Dying  Thoughts. 

Henry 
Andrew  Fuller's  Backslider. 


Matthew  ! 


on  Meekness. 


Scudder's    Redeemer's    Last    Com* 

mand. 

Scudder's  Appeal  to  Mothers. 
Burder's  Sermons  to  the  Aged. 


MISCELLANEOUS  WORKS. 


Bogue's  Evidences  of  Christianity. 
Keith's  Evidence  of  Prophecy. 
Morison's  Counsels  to  Young  Men. 
The  Reformation  in  Europe. 
Nevins'  Thoughts  on  Popery. 
Spirit  of  Popery,  [12  engravings.] 
The  Colporteur  and  Roman-catholic. 


POCKET  MANUALS. 


Mason  on  Self-Knowledge. 

Sherman's  Guide  to  an  Acquaint- 
ance with  God. 

Divine  Law  of  Beneficence. 

Zaccheus,  or  Scriptural  Plan  of  Be- 
nevolence. 

Hymns  for  Social  Worship. 


Clarke's  Scripture  Promises. 

The  Book  of  Psalms. 

Thp  Book  of  Proverbs. 

Daily  Scripture  Expositor. 

Ten  Commandments  Explained. 

Bean  and  Venn's  Ad  vice  to  a  Married 

Couple. 

Hymns  for  Infant  Minds. 
Reasons  of  Repose. 
Daily  Food  for  Christians. 


Chaplet  of  Flowers. 

Heavenly  Manna. 

Cecil  and  Flavel's  Gift  for  Mourn 

ers. 

Daily  Texts. 

Diary,  [Daily  Texts  interleaved.] 
Crumbs  from  the  Master's  Table. 
Milk  for  Babes. 

Provision  for  Passing  over  Jordan. 
Dew-Drops. 


BOOKS  FOR  THE  YOUNG 

MAXY   0V   THEM   BEAUTIFULLY   ILLUSTRATED   WITH  ZJfGBAVIXGS. 


Gallaudet's  Scripture  Biography,  7 

volumes,  from  Adam  to  David. 
Gallaudet's  Youth's  Book  of  Natural 

Theology. 
Peep  of  Day. 
Line  upon  Line. 
Precept  upon  Precept. 
Hannah  More'*  Repository  Tracts. 
Mary  l.undie  Duncan. 
Charlotte  Elizabeth. 
Martha  T.  Sharp. 
Fletcher's  Lecture*. 
Fohn  D.  Lock  wood. 
Memoir  of  Caroline  E.  Smelt. 
Gallaudet'i    Child's    Book   on    the 

Soul. 

*.nzonettt  R.  Peters. 
The  Night  of  Toil. 
Advice  to  a  Young  Christian. 
Madam    Rumpff   and    Duchess    de 

Broglie. 

5c udder's  Tales  about  the  Heathen. 
Amelia,  the  Pastor's  Daughter. 


Trees,  Fruits,  and  Flowers  of  the 

Bible.  [9  cuts.] 
Jessie  Little. 
Isabel. 

Walker's  Faith  Explained. 
Walker's  Repentance  Explained. 
Margaret  and  Henrietta. 
Bartimeus. 

Children  invited  to  Christ. 
The  Dairyman's  Daughter,  etc. 
Feet's  Scripture  Lessons. 
Child's  Book  of  Bible  Stories. 
Children  of  the  Bible. 
Amos  Armfield,  or  the  Leather-coy 

ered  Bible. 
The  Child's  Hymn-Book.     Selected 

by  Miss  Canlkins. 
Scripture  Animals.  [16  cuts.] 
Letters  to  Little  Children.  [13  cuts.] 
Great  Truths  in  Simple  Words. 
Pictorial  Tract  Primer. 
Watt's  Divine  and  Moral  Songs. 
With  numerous  similar  works. 


ALSO, 


Dr.  Edwards'  Sabbath  Manual,  Parts 
1,  a,  3,  and  4. 

Dr.  Edwards'  Temperance  Manual. 

Is  GERMAN — 56  voV,  various  sizes, 
including  Barth's  Church  History, 
Life  of  M.  Boos.  Rules  of  Life. 
Lord's  Day,  Fabricius,  Honey- 
Drop,  Christ  Knocking  at  the 
Door,  and  two  relumes  and  pack- 
ets of  Books  for  Children,  recently 
published. 

Is  FRENCH — Sixteen  YAlumes. 

Li  SPANISH — D'Aubigne's  History  of 
the  Reformation.  Vol.  I.,  Bogue's 


Authenticity  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, Pilgrim's  Progress,  Illus- 
trated Tract  Primer,  Primitive  Ca- 
tholicism, Andrew  Dunn,  Sabbath 
Manual,  Part  1,  Kirwan's  Letters, 
Evangelical  Hymns,  Temperance 
Manual,  and  Mutual  for  Children. 

Ix  WKLSH— Pilgrim's  Progress,  Bax- 
ter's Saints'  Rest  and  Call,  Anx- 
ious Inquirer,  History  of  Redemp- 
tion. 

I.X_DAMSH— Doddridge's  Rise  and 
rress,  Baxter's  Saints'  Rest 
Call.  • 


ALSO,  upwards  of  1,000  Tracts  and  Children's  Tracts,  separate,  bound, 
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